President of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) Komal Chand says that he has no fear that the government or Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) will not pay the interest on the remaining severance payments to laid off sugar workers, as was ordered by the High Court, despite it not being catered for in the supplementary funding that was approved by Parliament last week.
On Friday, days after the National Assembly approved over $2 billion in supplementary funds for the payment of the remaining severance to over 2,000 laid off sugar workers, Justice Fidela Corbin-Lincoln ordered that they be paid in full and with interest no later than January 15th, 2019.
She ordered that the remaining 50% of severance be paid to the 2,198 workers along with interest at a rate of 6% from the day of severance – December 29th, 2017 – to November 3rd, 2018, and thereafter at a rate of 4% until fully paid.
