A group of women in front of the Ministry of the Presidency. Photo courtesy Stabroek News.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana--Scores of sugar workers at Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt Estates downed tools as they heightened their call for a pay raise.
The workers together with officials from the GAWU and NAACIE – the unions of the sugar workers – also participated in a picketing exercise outside the Ministry of the Presidency as they called on the government of Guyana to bring an end to the wage freeze and to approve a pay raise for them.
The workers and the unions are contending that the government ought not to ignore the plight of workers employed by a state-owned enterprise. For the Administration to simply be ignorant of the situation that confronts those in the industry is a clear case of discrimination, they said.
The workers have dismissed utterances by several governmental officials that it is the Board of the Guyana Sugar Corporation GuySuCo which is required to approve a pay increase for them. The workers questioned if this was indeed the case, why was it the government, and not the Board, that engaged the unions and other stakeholders on the closure of four estates in recent times. They reminded that it was Guyana President David Granger himself, who had admitted that it was the government that made the decision to close Wales Estate.
Similarly, it was the government that decided to shutter the other estates and put thousands of their colleagues out of work. They see the recent statements by the government as just an excuse to shift the blame and a shameless attempt by the Administration to extricate itself. The workers are of the strong view that the Administration has more than a moral obligation to assist them as they reminded that even former President Forbes Burnham, who founded PNC/R, the largest party in the coalition government, had not treated them as terribly as his successors currently are.
The protesting workers echoed the sentiments of Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, who recently pointed out that there are monies available to offset a pay raise to sugar workers. They said they were at a complete loss to know why the government, which had embraced them prior to attaining office, was treating them with such derision.
They wondered how is it that the government can go about in good conscience, trumpeting the pay increases granted to other sectors of the State, while it well knows that sugar workers have not been given any pay increase since it took office. They questioned, as they have many times since 2015, aren’t they similarly deserving? Aren’t they and their families also facing a higher cost of living? They shared that they do not buy from different shops and vendors. They have to pay the same prices for everything, but they are working for less pay. They questioned how this can be deemed fair.
The GAWU also saw in a November 10, Demerara Waves report where Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan deemed employees of GuySuCo state employees. “While our Union has been sharing such expressions, it is the first time we can recollect that a government official has made such an admission,” said a GAWU representative, adding, “The Minister’s statement is yet another glaring example of the discrimination that the government has been practising. It is saddening to see the government furthering rather than reducing discrimination.
“Of course, this discriminatory hand is further exemplified when we examine what Minister Jordan said in a November 7, Newsroom report. The minister is quoted as saying that what ‘the government is trying to do is to rapidly bring salaries and other benefits to a level that befits jobs.’ While a noble objective, we hasten to ask: Don’t the sugar workers, like all workers, deserve the same? Or is it the minister’s statement can be read that sugar workers jobs do not attract high esteem in the Administration’s eyes, and thus they don’t require improvements to ensure that their pay and benefits befit their tasks. This is disturbing if it is true,” the union continued.
In recent times, the sugar workers have heightened their call for a pay raise. Workers have participated in vigil and protest activities to bring attention to their plight. Also, thousands of sugar workers subscribed to a petition calling on the President to approve a pay raise.
Granger undertook to share the petition with the GuySuCo and received their advice before communicating to the workers and the Union. Over two months have gone by since the president received the petition but no response has been forthcoming.
“In the meantime, the GAWU is well aware that the Corporation has seen the necessity of granting workers a pay raise. We are knowledgeable of certain proposals that have been put forward by the Management which stress the urgency to grant a raise in pay to the workers. We also have come to know that those proposals have received the support of some in the GuySuCo Board of Directors. Clearly, a pay raise to sugar workers is no longer optional but it is now an imperative. Moreover, the necessity has gained traction and it appears that the decision is ultimately left up to the powers that be. Of course, their inaction, thus far, is a clear indicator as to where they stand on the issue,” concluded the union rep. ~ iNews Guyana ~
