Dear Editor,
This letter is to raise a formal grievance concerning severed sugar workers. Closing of sugar estates was one of the most tragic news for sugar workers across the industry. It’s amazing to see all the letters, fellow sugar workers, other unions, fellow Guyanese and most of all the Opposition, who were the people who closed the estates protest against a cash grant that was offered to severed sugar workers by the present government. Where were all of you when our jobs was taken away just like that in a matter of days when another government take over? Why didn’t you come out and strike for us the same way you are protesting for a grant? But you should say thanks to the present government, you also would have been on the street. Only then you would know the feelings. Some of us lost our job after thirty years of service. Persons with less years had up to $300,000. Can we work 30 years again to get a pension that we worked all our lives for? Also an NIS pension that we worked so hard to get, of course we will get NIS but how much? Also what happened to the terms and conditions we signed on to? When we were forced to join a pension scheme, where is the 21 per cent GuySuCo put up for us? Were we notified that we will lose our job? NO. What happened to the false promises of land when our income was snatched away? Come on fellow sugar workers look past our political status, our colour or religion, it is crystal clear who wants to put us out of bread. The reason for closing of the sugar estates is still unclear but leaves you no doubt it was political especially when “GTUC said they never had any discussion on closure of sugar estates”. Thanks to the present government for giving us our jobs back. This helps us to put food on the table, help the children go back to school, save families and have no more suicides or separated families.
Sincerely,
Bibi Azima Azeem
