Some former Wales sugar workers and their families yesterday called for government support due to the toll that the closure of the estate has taken on them and the community.
“The situation for the people and the villages linked to Wales Estate remains bleak and uncertain. It is steadily growing worse and suffering is growing by the day. The future for the people, especially the youth, is not encouraging. It is difficult for us to imagine the hardships that would befall the people in the weeks and months that lie ahead. Many of us wonder every day if this is the ‘good life’ we were promised,” Gordon Thomas, a former tug operator, told reporters at the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) head office in Kingston.
Thomas said they are willing to accept subsidies for their utilities, such as water and electricity, and any other form of assistance that will help them and their families.