Dear Editor,
On Monday, January 25 a GAWU functionary came to our factory at Enmore and held a meeting asking for solidarity with the Wales sugar workers. Most of us did not agree with him and rebuffed him.
He indicated to us that four NAACIE workers from the LBI factory received their benefits after the closure of the LBI factory. Our investigation revealed this not to be the case. The very few NAACIE workers who had requested their benefits to which we all know they were entitled, never had these honoured. We believe the Ministry took the side of GuySuCo, both being arms of the state, and naturally they were biased against these workers.
Are they capable of being the servants of those whom they deem to represent as our new dispensation requires? Let us further remind the GAWU representative the LBI NAACIE workers he referred to were never interviewed by GuySuCo because they were never invited in for an interview or knew about it.
We now remind the unions, GuySuCo and labour interests that we here at Enmore, and I am sure by extension other estates, gave our solidarity collectively to the NAACIE category of workers of LBI who are still to receive their benefits. The other workers of East Demerara who are redundant and any of the Wales workers who will be affected should be treated with humility and a sense of openness and afforded prior consultation. It should not be like the case of the LBI workers, who were never given this opportunity, allowing GuySuCo and others to arrive at their own opinions and follow their whims and fancies.
Let us all be our brothers’ keepers.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address
provided)
