Albion Estate workers yesterday agreed to end a nine-day-long strike over better pay for cutting ‘over-run’ cane.
The decision came after sugar workers met yesterday morning with the Albion Estate Manager Dev Kumar, GuySuCo Human Resources Director Jairam Petam, representatives of the gangs and other officials.
After the approximately two and a half hours meeting at the Training Centre at the Albion Estate compound, workers agreed that they would return to work today and start working on fresh canes (cane that was planned for this crop season).
As for the ‘over-run’ cane, representatives of the gangs 14A and 14B and management will meet to discuss the amount to be paid per punt. The canes will be burnt soon and an inspection would then be carried out. Workers had been seeking $4,000 per punt of the ‘over-run’ cane but GuySuCo management has said it is unable to meet that demand.
Kumar, after the meeting commented on the agreement made between the two parties.
“The strike has been resolved… workers are enthused to get back to work,” Kumar said after the meeting, adding that they would resume working from today. Meanwhile cane harvesters from other gangs resumed working yesterday.
Kumar noted that management is happy that a settlement was reached with workers. Workers also indicated to Stabroek News that they are satisfied with the decision taken by management and their representatives. Although there were reports during the protest that workers were calling for a new Estate Manager, there was no rancour yesterday. “I think this is the beginning of a good friendship,” Kumar said.
The target set by the estate is 39,000 tonnes of sugar for this crop. When asked if workers will still be able to deliver this target, Kumar said “everything was put on the table” and “we move on from here.”
On Tuesday, GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer Paul Bhim warned that GuySuCo was unlikely to meet a shipment of approximately 6,500 tonnes of sugar due to depart Guyana on Friday, as a result of the strike. As a result, he said it would incur a charge of US$6,000 per day in the interim for the delay. “These actions by the workers will only push the corporation backwards…. We have a huge crop to take out and it is necessary to have the crop taken out… I would like to appeal to the workers to think the situation over as the country currently has important commitments to fulfil,” Bhim told the Government Information Agency.
