The main sugar union GAWU yesterday criticised President David Granger for what it contended was his casual treatment of a petition by around 3,500 sugar workers for a pay rise.
In a statement yesterday, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) said that the President’s response reached GAWU on October 10, almost a week after his correspondence is dated. Granger’s October 4th letter informed that the petition has been forwarded to GuySuCo. The union said that the President did not share the rationale for his actions but said he awaited advice from the Corporation on the way forward.
GAWU said that the petition, which was supported by some 3,500 workers, had called on the President to recognize the plight of the workers “who have been severely hard-pressed by the contemporary realities of life”.
GAWU said it was probably one of the most subscribed petitions ever received by the President or any President for that matter.
“The response of the President is hardly what the workers wanted to hear especially taking account of the situation they and their family face. Certainly, the sugar workers were hopeful that the President would have displayed decisive leadership and, through his influence, ensure that their pay was improved for the first time in the life of his Administration. This appears not to be the case and there is little hope that the Corporation would provide a positive indicator to the Administration on the matter unless there is a clear mandate from the powers-that-be. Of course, the Administration has already signalled publicly that workers of the State would be benefitting from pay rises and the continued exclusion of the sugar workers could only be seen as discriminatory”, the union declared.
GAWU said it has pointed out, on several occasions, how far the earnings of sugar workers have fallen in recent times.
“The apparent snub by the President as he ignores the cries, plight and circumstances of our nation’s sugar workers represents another slap in the face of the hard-working and dedicated employees of the industry. It is simply saddening and upsetting when one considers the treatment of the workers during the life of the current Administration. It is a far cry from the embrace they would have received prior to the incumbent Administration taking office. Today, all those commitments the workers would have heard have simply become meaningless and the promises for betterment have all but been dashed. As we consider the situation, it is apt to recollect that once bitten, twice shy”, the union added.
The APNU+AFC government has shut down four sugar estates. Three are still functional. Around 7,000 sugar workers have been laid off.
