Payment of severance to 4,000 sugar workers will begin sometime in January, according to Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder.
His statement at a press conference yesterday came amid concerns raised by the sugar union GAWU that it had been told by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) that there was no money for severance. The GuySuCo position reflected the ongoing dissonance between its statements and those by the Guyana Government on the massive ongoing upheaval in the industry.
Holder said that payouts will commence in January but could not give a specific date. He said the decision was made by cabinet and despite what the union said about the sugar company not having money, allocations were made from the 2018 budget to the Agriculture Ministry to pay the workers. In addition to the budgetary allocations, he also pointed out that there are funds that will also be available through other avenues that will be used to pay the workers.