The almost twenty five (25) employees of the Sugar Industry Labour Welfare Fund Committee (SILWFC) staged a protest and picketing exercise today (7th December, 2009) outside the headquarters of SILWFC in Barrack Street, Kingston to have an agreement improving wages/salaries and other fringe benefits reached between their union – the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the Sugar Industry Labour Welfare Fund Committee (SILWFC) implemented.

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The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) was surprised to learn from the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (Guysuco) on December 03, 2009 that it would be unable to pay the usual weekly wages on December 04, 2009 because of a temporary cash flow shortfall.

Some 16,000 workers would, therefore, be greatly inconvenienced in meeting their weekly expenses, resulting from this most unfortunate development for the first time in the history of the industry. Read the rest of this entry »

The sixteenth (16th) Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Cooperative Credit Union Society Limited Reg# 2000 will be convened on 6th December, 2009 at Umana Yana, Kingston, Georgetown at 09:00h.

Close to 400 members are expected to attend the meeting many of whom are drawn from Guysuco’s eight sugar estates and other entities at which the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) enjoys bargaining rights. In attendance will also be Credit Union members who are not unionized. Read the rest of this entry »

The heartwarming historical tale of Hajar’s courage and determination as a mother alone with her son Ismail in a desert, is one origin of Eid-ul-Azha festival.

Then there is the devout obedience to God by Ibrahim who was willing to make the supreme and ultimate sacrifice of his well-loved son Ismail.

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Sugar workers attached to Rose Hall Estate took strike action crippling field and factory operations at the Estate since yesterday (November 22, 2009).

The almost 3,000 person workforce were aghast when Rose Hall Estate late last Saturday morning (November 21, 2009) withdrew a day’s pay earned by the workers for having produced sugar equivalent to or over the week’s Weekly Production Incentive (WPI) target of 1,350 tonnes.

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Sugar workers returned to work on (Friday) November 06, 2009 after they were engaged in a week’s strike over the non-settlement of their wage dispute with the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (Guysuco). The Company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Errol Hanoman in the November 05, 2009 edition of Kaieteur News stated that Guysuco would have to extend the crop by two (2) weeks and possible rains might force lower production estimates for next year. A reliable source advised that the Corporation as at June, this year, forecasted that Guysuco would produce 320,000 tonnes sugar next year but as at last month a new estimate indicated a production of 280,000 tonnes. Will Guysuco answer what factors have caused the estimate to be slashed from 320,000 tonnes to 280,000 tonnes? After 280,000 tonnes, what would be the new estimate? Read the rest of this entry »

The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) reiterates that the low volume of sugar production is causing the imbroglio in the sugar industry. Two (2) decades ago the industry was producing less than 200,000 tonnes sugar per annum and the situation was almost similar to today’s. Read the rest of this entry »

The Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco) reportedly stated, during his appearance on “Close Up” which was broadcast on NCN on October 30, 2009, that the Guyana Sugar Corporation would lose some 17,000 tonnes of burnt canes equivalent to 1,550 tonnes sugar from the current strike. Is this assertion factual? As at today, (Monday) November 02, 2009 there were close to 3,600 tonnes burnt cane across the industry. This figure was garnered from usually reliable and impeccable sources. Should the canes remain un-processed it will amount to approximately 305 tonnes sugar.

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