GAWU President Komal Chand has referred to reports of strike action in the sugar industry as exaggerated, while saying that a few workers had raised concerns over payments.
The harvesting gangs from Rose Hall were demanding more money to harvest cane from the second crop last year but GuySuCo has refused to pay, according to Chand. “There was a problem with price, but as far as we are aware there is no strike…I find it strange that media reports are saying workers are on strike for six days,” he said yesterday.
He noted that representatives from the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) were on the ground and found nothing to suggest that workers were engaging in industrial action. Chand said also that he made checks with officials at GuySuCo “who confirmed that there was no strike.”
Reports were that Rose Hall workers who were harvesting canes for Albion went on strike on Sunday after GuySuCo refused to pay an additional $1,000 for a bed of the 2010 cane to be harvested. In terms of numbers, close to 1,100 harvesters comprise the four harvesting gangs from Rose Hall and just around 250 turned up for work on Sunday.
Stabroek News was told that GuySuCo officials met with the representatives of the workers on Wednesday and in the meeting the company said that it cannot pay extra for over-run canes. However, it offered to make additional payments based on the conditions and or obstacles in the fields.
The workers are expected to turn out in full today when the Rose Hall factory commences grinding for the first crop. The Rose Hall workers were harvesting canes from the Rose Hall Estate for transport to the Albion factory for grinding following the early start of the first crop at the Albion Estate. Blairmont Estate is scheduled to start grinding today as well, following steam trials yesterday. In addition, canes were burnt at the estate.
With respect to the other estates, LBI is also expected to start grinding by this weekend while the scheduled commencement dates for Skeldon, Wales and Enmore were postponed. Wales is likely to start the first crop in mid-February and Skeldon a week earlier. The position on grinding at Enmore is still not yet known.
GuySuCo is aiming for a 300,000 tonnes sugar target this year after struggling with production last year and finishing the year with a dismal 220,000 tonnes. The first crop this year got off to an early start, with grinding kicking off at Uitvlugt some two weeks now.
