The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) says that it welcomes those measures in the $220B national budget of 2014 that would further improve the social conditions of thousands of ordinary Guyanese but believes that much more could be done.
A release from the union said that it is fully supportive of the ongoing subsidies to GPL and GWI, the increase in pension benefits and grants for school children.
The Union said that when accessed alongside some other budgetary measures they would certainly bring some relief and contribute to a better quality of life for the beneficiaries.
It said that the statistics provided by the Minister of Finance indicate continuing economic growth which is heartening at this time given international and national circumstances. GAWU also noted that inflation remains within tolerable levels and predictions for this year are optimistic.
According to GAWU, the 2014 Budget also focuses on the agricultural sector and envisages strong support for its further development. The importance of such a course cannot be denied.
It said that agriculture holds out bright prospects for future development and in providing employment. The union shares the view that this sector is deserving of increased attention by the government considering the growing demands for products, saying that the market in the region and beyond can be explored and tapped into, while ensuring adequate, sustainable and cheap food domestically.
However the union is mindful of reports in the world of land grabs, agribusiness and industrial agriculture by corporations which displace indigenous farmers and show scant regard for the use of water resources or potential soil depletion with excessive chemicals use. GAWU said there is a growing inclination for agricultural activities to remain in domestic hands and which should be officially promoted.
It said, “In the context of the thrust to strengthen agriculture, the budget also paid attention to the sugar industry. It is proposing the injection of G$6B into the important Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) which is at a crucial juncture as it widely known. We also welcome this intervention at this time which is a demonstration of tangible support to the industry. This will certainly be a relief to all stakeholders of the industry, especially the thousands of workers, hundreds of cane farmers and their families and many others who conduct various transactions with the Corporation and depend fully or partially on the industry for their sustenance and economic well-being.”
GAWU stated, “In as much as we recognize the necessity of such support, at this time, we hasten to insist that other crucial steps be taken, one of which is to constitute the new Board of Directors of GuySuCo to guide the rehabilitation work of the industry, among other things.
“We are also mindful of the fact that this disbursement should be not delinked from the European Union (EU) accompanying measures and moreover the industry’s previous support to the state in the years of the sugar levy. The sugar industry continues to serve our country in a multi-faceted way. Therefore, we cannot allow the industry to fail. The impact of failure will be nothing short of devastation. The GAWU remains confident that the profitable expectations of the industry can be met,” the release said.
