The Agriculture Ministry will be mediating talks between the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the management of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) today to end a strike by workers that shutdown the Skeldon factory and which is being blamed for the burning of just over 80 acres of cane.
As a result of the shutdown and GuySuCo’s resulting inability to supply power to the national grid, the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) yesterday announced that it had been forced to load shed in Demerara and Berbice since Sunday.
Workers proceeded to strike after dock mill worker Stephen Daniels was dismissed on Saturday morning, following an altercation with Estate Manager Dave Kumar the previous night. By Saturday afternoon, workers started to strike to show solidarity and the action continued up to yesterday.
GuySuCo yesterday said approximately 34 hectares of cane were burnt on Sunday in retaliation to Daniels’ dismissal, while GAWU President Komal Chand said it was an act of arson and that the union denounced it. He stressed yesterday that there can be an amicable resolution to the issue but warned that the dispute could act as a catalyst for continued unrest.
Chand told Stabroek News that the union was invited to meet the ministry today to work out a resolution to get striking workers back to work. It is estimated over 2,000 field and factory workers have gone on strike.
He said that such a strike was unprecedented and he could not recall when an incident would have cause such provocation that workers