Sugar Workers on Countrywide Strike

The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) is of the view that the decision by the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (Guysuco) to withdraw from the wage/salary negotiations is influenced by ulterior motives.

The Corporation in a press statement noted, “that a section of workers attached to LBI Estate resorted to strike action to vent their disapproval of the Corporation’s wage offer for the year 2009 among other issues.”

On the contrary, the strike by the majority of cane cutters at LBI Estate on October 13, 2009 had no relation to negotiations between the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (Guysuco).

Rather, the workers downed tools to press their demand to obtain an acceptable target for sugar production for their Estate (LBI), to secure weekly production incentive (WPI) for week-ending October 17, 2009.

The Corporation, recognising that its target to produce 290,000 tonnes sugar, as stated in the 2009 National Budget is far from realization, is attempting through its abrupt withdrawal from the negotiations to blame the workers’ strike action/s for the poor performance of the industry again, this year.

Since 2005, the industry’s sugar production has plummeted. Last year’s production of 226,267 tonnes was the lowest since 1991 and the Corporation, for this year, according to its latest estimate, is forecasting a production of just about 242,000 tonnes. Over the past years the industry, by all accounts, was mismanaged and the legacy of that mismanagement is now manifesting itself.

As at October 12, 2009 the industry’s production stood at 189,411 tonnes. To achieve its latest target just another 52,589 tonnes of sugar is required.

The remaining quantity of canes could be harvested in just seven (7) weeks, at a production of 8,000 tonnes sugar per week, and given the long predictable dry weather during this year, the Corporation recognizes that there is a lot of time to have all the canes harvested and, therefore, to exhaust the workers in strikes might be its choice.

The Union detests what it considers this nefarious ploy by the Corporation and seeks that the sugar workers be respected and treated with dignity. The Union takes the opportunity, to call upon the Corporation to avail itself to allow the negotiations to resume under the Chairmanship of the Chief Labour Officer. The Corporation is expected to negotiate in earnest, as the Union and the workers do, to arrive at a negotiated settlement.

In the meantime, the Union denounces the Corporation’s decision to lock out a number of junior staffers, who are members of GAWU and NAACIE on account of the complete shutdown of the industry by the factory and field workers. Why hasn’t the Corporation shut out its senior staffers too?

The Union calls upon all those employees who have been shut out from work to demand their pay for the day/s they are denied work.