Some 30 workers of the Wales estate of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) are on strike over time stipulations inserted in their job description without an agreement.
The workers on strike are from the land preparation section of the estate and according to a representative of the workers, they have been on strike since Monday, one day after the new job stipulation was put in place.
This newspaper understands that the men are required to prepare beds for the planting of sugar cane stalks within a certain time frame making 3 rod turns, instead of 2, with a tractor with plough attached. Several workers, who visited this newspaper’s office yesterday, stated that they did not disagree with the new regulation but noted that it was only communicated to them by word of mouth.
They recounted that usually, they performed their duties without having to complete a “certain amount work in a certain timeframe”, and according to them, the manager at Wales estate related to them on Monday that the land preparation work needed to be undertaken with the new regulation taking effect. They said the individual was upset on Monday when the workers informed him of their intentions to down tools, if the change in their job description was not reflected on paper.
Efforts by this newspaper to obtain a comment from GuySuCo yesterday were in vain.
The workers noted that the estate manager related that they should find alternative forms of employment if they continued with their plans to down tools.
The workers stated that GuySuCo’s Industrial Relations head Francis Carryl was aware of the on-going situation while representatives of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) were also informed of their plans, however, the men noted that both organizations appear to have them on a ‘run-around’.
The men said that on Monday GAWU representatives met with them and their actions as well as the reasons which led to their plans to take strike action were related to the union. Yesterday morning, the men noted, several workers met with GAWU and it was related by the union that the issue was sorted out, and that GuySuCo was also aware of the problem being solved.
However, on their return to work at Wales yesterday, the estate manager informed that he was unaware of any solution to the problem being put in place.
GAWU’s General Secre-tary Seepaul Narine, when contacted, told Stabroek News that the union met with the workers on Monday and yesterday to discus the issue. He said that GuySuCo had communicated with the union its intentions to change work conditions at the estate from one of work rate to time rate. He said that in changing the conditions the workers while ploughing the beds on which cane stalks are planted will make 3-rod turns on the beds with the tractor instead of 2 rods.
He said that the workers knew of the on-going discussions between the union and GuySuCo and he noted that October 12th is tentatively set for a meeting between the two bodies. He said that work was expected to continue at the estate while discussions are on-going.
The workers meanwhile plan to continue to stay off the job today if their demands are not met by the sugar corporation.
Strikes in the industry have contributed to dismal production in recent crops.