GAWU says that sugar workers from GuySuCo’s seven estates yesterday staged protests in response to the tabling of motions by APNU and the AFC in the National Assembly to debar the government from providing, among other things, $6B in subsidies to GPL.
GAWU said the subsidy is being provided in order to avoid a likely increase by 20 per cent in electricity rates.
The factories at Skeldon, Albion, Rose Hall, Blairmont and Enmore did not process any sugar since the workers stayed away from work, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) said in a press release.
On all the estates, a number of field workers also downed tools in support of the one-day action. And some sugar workers, among others, also picketed the office of the AFC at Strand, New Amsterdam, Berbice yesterday morning, the release stated.
It noted too that the slogans included “AFC/APNU betraying the working-class”; “AFC/APNU proposed budget cuts have betrayed working-class”; “APNU/AFC want Guyanese to pay more for electricity”; “$6 Billion dollar electricity cut means higher electricity rates for Guyanese”; as well as “Don’t discriminate against us – Granger and Ramjattan” and “Budget cut means more poverty”.
