Sugar workers say they were denied their rights to go ahead with a public march on Tuesday afternoon that the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) organized over government’s plan to close the Enmore estate.
The march was slated to take place on the internal streets at Enterprise/Non Pariel, East Coast Demerara but had to be aborted due to the Guyana Police Force’s refusal to grant permission.
The workers hailed from the Enmore and LBI estates, which government had announced last year would be merged to form the East Demerara Estate.
However, workers were shocked to learn later in the year that Enmore was among three estates that would be closed.
At a press conference at GAWU’s office yesterday, assistant General Secretary, Aslim Singh, said that in ensuring that their decision was enforced, about seven armed officers turned up at the point where the march was scheduled to commence.
He said too” “Interestingly, another officer with a video camera carefully filmed those persons present.”
He told the media that the “large number of workers and residents who turned out to participate in the march were most upset by the police’s denial. They felt that the refusal was tantamount to a denial of their inalienable and constitutional right and an affront to freedom of expression.”
As a result, they assembled at a nearby yard where several union leaders including GAWU’s President, Komal Chand; General Secretary, Seepaul Narine; President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana, Carvil Duncan, and Treasurer of the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees, Bhagmat Hochand addressed them.
He said the “speakers were critical and strongly condemned the police’s action” and noted that “this was yet another instance signaling that democracy in our country is coming under threat.”
Chand told the media that the application for permission was sent to the police on April 18, along with a request for permission to advertise and to conduct a public meeting y at Non Pariel at 5 pm.
He said when a GAWU agent visited the police on Tuesday he was told that permission had not been granted for the events.
He subsequently spoke to the divisional commander yesterday morning and was promised that permission would be granted. At the time of the press conference, the agent was waiting on the written response from the police.
Chand said the workers were concerned about the situation, given that they have had a bitter experience about three decades ago where workers were denied the right to assemble and march. He said they did not expect a return of that kind of situation.
According to him, Tuesday’s denial “does not hold well for the democratic development that we have had in the country over the years.”
Further he said, “It doesn’t look good and we are not certain if it is a one-off decision by the police or whether this would be the norm. And that is why we are very much concerned about what has happened yesterday [Tuesday]. We thought that it is important that we condemn it… And we hope that there would not be any repetition.”
