Corporation, union compromise on obstacle payment
Striking sugar workers attached to the Wales Estate of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco) are to return to work today following an agreement between their union representatives and officials of the corporation yesterday.
The sugar workers had downed tools on Monday over working conditions at the Wales Estate, and this resulted in their union representatives and Guysuco officials holding discussions over several days.
General Secretary of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Seepaul Narine, told this newspaper yesterday that the sugar corporation has agreed to $383 per obstacle per bed (clearing of obstacles e.g. weeds) as payment to the cane harvesters. The workers were demanding a $400 per obstacle per bed payment, while Guysuco was offering $360. Narine said that GAWU’s President Komal Chand represented the union during the talks with Guysuco officials, and noted that the factory at Wales will be operating by tomorrow, when cane will be made available by the cane harvesters.
Guysuco in a statement released yesterday prior to the agreement said that it did not make sense to keep the factory at the Wales Estate open, since there were no canes to be ground. The company stated that once an assurance was given by GAWU that canes will be made available by cane harvesters for the factory to crush, operations would resume.
Guysuco stated that it profoundly regretted its decision to close the Wales Estate from August 25, noting that the decision was informed by ‘a prolonged and unreasonable strike’, particularly by cane harvesters who downed tools on August 20, 2009 over a price dispute.
The company said that its management had had several discussions with GAWU officials over five consecutive days, and though the corporation ‘was very flexible’, the union representatives had remained unyielding.
Guysuco went on to state that it was most unfortunate that the workers failed to take advantage of the excellent harvesting conditions which prevailed at the time, noting that this is a necessary requirement for bringing in the crop. The company noted that while the strike was in progress, severe damage was inflicted to the cane cultivation by acts of arson, noting that ‘such counter-productive behaviour has served the interest of no one’.
When asked if he had received reports of arson at the Wales Estate, Narine said that the reports were true, noting that standing cane (equivalent to 102 punts/600 tonnes) was destroyed. He said the canes would have accounted for less than a day’s work.
Two cane harvesters at Patentia on the West Bank of Demerara told this newspaper yesterday that they were informed by officials of the Wales Estate on Monday afternoon of a fire in the cane fields and were asked for their assistance in putting out the blaze.
They said the fire, which destroyed approximately 36 beds of cane, started sometime after 2 pm and lasted for about 5-6 hours.
Following the strike action taken by sugar workers, management of the Wales Estate decided to temporarily close operations at the factory, leaving a skeletal staff, including factory managers, security personnel, and a few power unit attendants to man operations there. Cane harvesters at the Enmore estate had proceeded on strike last week and on Wednesday of this week over a pricing dispute but that matter was resolved following discussion between management of the sugar corporation and GAWU.
