Dear Editor,
There has been considerable discussion in the press about the fate of the sugar industry’s Packaging Plant, located at East Demerara Estate (Enmore), and its future transition to Albion/Port Mourant Estate on the Corentyne. Neither the termination date of the operations at the current location has been confirmed, nor has the initiation of operations at the future location been clarified. In the interval, it seems possible that the ‘transparent’ transaction was neither seen nor heard by GuySuCo in the first instance, nor by the Union concerned, GAWU.
The quietude of both is therefore most eloquent about the honouring of the Collective Bargaining Agreement’s provision for ‘Severance Pay’, following termination of services in the sugar industry. The obfuscatory remarks about their being retrained and absorbed into a new organisation lacks credibility, moreso coming reputedly from a Minister, who should be advised by his more authoritative counterpart – the Minister of Labour.
For there is no gainsaying that the workers have a choice, particularly in the light of their earlier terminated counterparts being compensated by both severance payments and hefty grants. At the same time there can be no guarantee that all of them, however willing, will necessarily adjust to the new technological job requirements, and if so, at what comparable conditions of employment, like free medical benefits for self and family, contributory hospitalisation scheme, pension etc. Surely GAWU will seek full protection for these members – in the interest of ‘human development’.
Sincerely,
E.B. John
Human Resources Management and
Organisational Development Advisor