Yesterday’s heavy rains did not prevent workers of the LBI and Enmore sugar estates from once again protesting in front of the Ministry of Presidency against the merging of the two entities as well as poor working conditions.
They were hoping that President David Granger would listen to their concerns and would intervene by instructing the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to engage the workers and their unions.
The workers chanted, “Who must go?” and loudly responded, “Corbet must go,” in reference to the LBI Estate Manager Corbet Victorine. They also called for GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer Errol Hanoman to go.
They carried placards, some of which read: ‘GuySuCo refusing to dialogue with workers and union’, ‘LBI cane cultivation continues but workers made redundant’, ‘Work rates at LBI and Enmore different – dialogue required’, ‘GuySuCo closes door to dialogue – open it now!’ ‘GuySuCo must end management deception’, ‘We want to work but under acceptable conditions’ and ‘We can’t accept the bullyism of the estate management.’
The workers also chanted “We need wages,” and when asked to explain what they meant, a senior Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) official told Stabroek News that they have not benefited from an increase in salary since last year. He said the union submitted a claim for a nine per cent increase in March last year but GuySuCo did not want to negotiate with the union, despite the laws requiring that this be done.
“In May this year, we submitted a claim for eight per cent and so far all GuySuCo has said is that they are processing the claim. They haven’t met with us as yet, despite the agreement requiring them to meet with us within a certain time,” the official added.
GAWU President Komal Chand who joined the protest along with other GAWU leaders, told Stabroek News he hoped “the President would recognise the importance of the protest because should it spread across the country, it would be most unfortunate.
“We need them [GuySuCo] to pay attention and do something. We know that Mr Granger came out last week and met with the scrap iron dealers. He can come out and speak to us and address the concerns of the people.” He added that the workers have promised that regardless of “rain or sun, they want to come out and picket…It shows that they are strong, they are committed and they want the issues to be resolved.”
From the picket line, Sharon Smith, a weeder, said she is accustomed to working at the LBI estate and wants it to remain that way because “the conditions over at Enmore is very difficult.” According to her, sometimes they would only get up to “four or five days’ work [per week] and sometimes none at all.”
Vanessa Kingston, who has been working at the estate for 21 years, throwing fertilizer, is also finding the change difficult. She has three children attending school and said she does not have money to purchase their uniforms and other items for the new term.
“It is very hard because one month now I haven’t taken home any money… I have three children going to school and an eight-month-old baby. I can’t even buy milk for the baby and I have box to throw…,” she said.
Paulette Jordon, from the weeding gang, said she has been working at the LBI estate for 26 years now and “it is going on to six weeks now and not an envelope in my hand. If we take the work, we cannot bring out the task and when we reach out, we money cut. So it ain’t mek no sense. Is best they pay we off or something…, Right now I am supporting all the strikes because what’s the use I’m cooking my food, going to the work and ain’t earning any dollar.”
The woman said the estate is giving them one day’s pay for work that would last for three days “and if you ain’t finish it we won’t get the full money. They are supposed to pay us $2,748 but right now they are giving us $2,678.
“We came here because we want the President to come out and say something because we sure he don’t know wah going on…We going over to Enmore but we are not welcome over there.”
Water
According to Jordan, one five-gallon jar of water is provided for them at Enmore but the workers and the foreman there take the water and fill bottles and put these in their bags. “So we from LBI had to stop working there because of water… because when we finished working, the Enmore people had water and we ain’t had none,” one of the women said.
“And nobody ain’t coming to talk to we. When we try talking to them they saying that’s the order,” she added.
Dacia Wills said she has not earned for almost one month and she has a daughter to maintain. “Look, school would open just now and I haven’t earned a daily bread. Who gon give me it? Sometimes we come out to work and we have to go home back and that is not fair,” she declared.
Jadunauth Singh, who works with the re-cleaning gang, said he was protesting against the merging of the two estates. “We want our order line to remain at LBI. We don’t have any problem working at Enmore one and two days but when we get we order at LBI, they must pick we up and carry we to work and we coming back at LBI…,” he said.
Singh declared that this should be case for the “cane-cutters, crop husbandry and everybody. The other day the planters went to Enmore and some of them didn’t get work…”
Meantime, Chand claimed that GuySuCo is refusing to have any engagement with the union and the workers to address their issues. He said GAWU has sent several letters requesting dialogue but there has been no response.
But GuySuCo said no correspondence was received from GAWU on the matter.
According to Chand, the LBI workers are forced to take up work at the Enmore location which is less favourable and that is a violation of the law. “They should be paid the disturbance allowance which is equivalent to one hour’s pay as it would take care of extra travelling time,” he said. If not, “they would lose in terms of pay and would also lose the one hour,” he had told the media.
GuySuCo said on Monday that it has an agreement with GAWU that “the disturbance allowance is paid when employees are required to leave their home estate to assist on another estate. However, in this instance, East Demerara is one estate, so the disturbance allowance would not be applicable.”
Meantime, GAWU, in a statement yesterday, said the workers “are peeved over the decision of GuySuCo to transfer the approximate 450-person workforce attached to the LBI cultivation to Enmore Estate.”
The union said the LBI workers have pointed out that their rates of pay at Enmore are lower than what they currently receive at LBI. “In fact, the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act requires that redundant workers requested by their employer to take up work at another location must obtain no less favourable conditions. Moreover, the LBI workers have pointed out that the 2,700 hectare LBI cultivation remains operable and, therefore, their jobs have not become redundant,” the statement said.
However, GuySuCo has said that the workers are “piece-rate paid and are paid based on productivity and not based on time spent on the job. This basically means that they are in control of their earnings; the more work they accept, the higher their earnings.”
The corporation accused GAWU of not being seriously interested in the survival of GuySuCo and by extension, ensuring that its members have job security.
“After a poor first crop, enormous efforts were made by the corporation to ensure a successful second crop which commenced two weeks ago. Instead of the union being supportive and demonstrating that it is a responsible stakeholder; it continues to call strikes left, right and centre for reasons which can be dealt with while the workers continue to perform their duties and earning their wages,” GuySuCo declared.
According to the entity, it held discussions on the consolidation of the East Demerara Estate from April to August 3, with the union, which was represented by its General Secretary Seepaul Narine, along with shop stewards who were present at all of those meetings and the concerns raised were addressed.
