Protest action on Wednesday by temporary field workers attached to the Guysuco, Albion Estate in Berbice have resulted in them retaining their jobs during the out-of-crop season which started on Monday.
The workers, mostly women, had turned up for work as usual only to be told that there was no work for them.
Disappointed and worried about the effects of the high cost of living, the workers sought the intervention of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU).
Organizing secretary of GAWU, Ramnarace Tewari told this newspaper that he met with the workers on Tuesday and after listening to their concerns arranged a protest for the following day in front of the estate.
Following the protest and dialogue with senior members of both entities, Tewari was informed on Wednesday evening that the workers would be able to continue working.
Tewari pointed out that once the workers have “three crops qualification they are supposed to get a minimum of 4 days work… The cane arbitration had ruled [initially] that workers should have at least 3 days of work but through agreement between the parties [Guysuco and GAWU] they got the extra day.”
The workers had said that it was like that all along until management decided to make a change this crop and they only found out about it after they showed up on Monday.
Further they pointed out that most of them worked for over eight years, were single mothers and were finding it hard to send their children to school and pay bills and installments.
They also said that they have no other means of earning a livelihood and were worried about where the “next meal would come from.” The workers had said too that “even if we bin get two days work we woulda contend.”
However when they were told that they were given back their normal job of four days they were elated.
