In light of the presence of the coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) wants the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to suspend its operations while providing financial support for its sugar workers. According to a GAWU release yesterday, the Union had written to GuySuCo pointing out that recently, workers have been expressing their fear about contracting the coronavirus. It added that this fearfulness has “heightened” in recent days as the number of persons infected has risen with reports indicating that this number could climb even higher in the coming days.
The Union stated that in its letter, it acknowledged that the Corporation has put several measures in place to allay workers’ concerns, however, while welcome, these have not helped to sufficiently placate the workers’ fears. The Union said it reminded GuySuCo that it is bound both by agreement and statute, among other things, to ensure that workers are protected from hazards whether they are physical or biological and pointed out that workers have expressed anxieties about going to work, not because they are unwilling, but instead seeking to protect their and their families’ health and well-being at this time. It was against this background that the Union urged the Corporation to consider “a temporary cessation of operations.”