Dear Editor,
The GAWU has seen the comments of GuySuCo’s Corporate Communications Manager, Ms Audreyanna Thomas which appeared in the August 10, Stabroek News regarding the recent strike action by workers of Albion Estate.
Ms Thomas points out that discussion regarding the pay rise for 2018 was deadlocked and the Company was not in receipt of the Union’s demands regarding 2019. What wasn’t said, maybe out of ignorance, was that the conciliatory discussions at the level of the Ministry of Social Protection became deadlocked mere days ago. Certainly, it would have been imprudent and illogical for the Union to submit its proposals for this year without concluding discussions on 2018 as, obviously, one affects the other. Nevertheless, the GAWU is working, at this time, to submit its claims in the shortest time.
Moreover, it does not negate the reality that sugar workers are enjoying rates-of-pay that were last adjusted in 2014. In fact, during our engagements with the Corporation at the bilateral and conciliatory levels, the GAWU hastened to point out that the freezing of wages, apart from other attacks on workers’ conditions-of-work, has seen between 2014 and 2017 workers taking home 30 per cent less in their pay. When inflation is taken into account, a further 6 per cent in wages have been lost by workers. Our Union noted that those developments came at a time when prices for certain food items have gone up in excess of 50 per cent and the cost of medicines, for instance, has also steeply risen.
In spite of those daunting realities, sugar workers continued to work dedicatedly and saw the Corporation not only meeting its production targets but exceeding them as well. Yet for those feats and efforts the workers are treated disdainfully and were given a paltry bonus which equated to about less than $1,500 per month. Also, the GuySuCo spokesperson didn’t say, for obvious reasons, that there is support, among certain forces, to approve a pay rise to workers yet, nevertheless, the workers continue to experience denial after denial. We have told the GuySuCo that it cannot turn a blind eye to the reality that their workers’ dollars are buying less and less and they will soon be placed firmly with their backs against the wall if they are not there already. Certainly, this situation for the workers is upsetting especially when they go home and come to the realisation that they cannot meet, at times, even the basic demands of life.
Ms Thomas also told the Stabroek News that “[l]ast year, for the second crop, the workers achieved 2,200 tonnes per week”. Our records advise us that of the twenty grinding weeks during the 2018 second crop, on three occasions the production of 2,200 tonnes was surpassed. During the recently concluded first crop, at no time 2,200 tonnes sugar was realized in any one week. This represented an increase in weekly targeted production which was imposed by GuySuCo. In such an event, one would have expected that the Corporation would have engaged the workers and the Union regarding its plans to increase the weekly target. Certainly such an engagement would have helped the workers and the Union to better understand the rationale behind the increase in the target. Rather, the increase in the target was just shoved down without any explanation to the workers.
Regarding the changes, to the working hours of the bell loader operators, Ms Thomas tells us that the change to begin the shift from 10:00h instead of 06:00h was a proposal and now a start of 08:00h has been settled. Certainly, had it not been for the workers expressions the 10:00h imposition would have remained in stark contrast to the workers rationales and contentions. Touching on the adjustments to the mechanical tillage, Ms Thomas
contends the Corporation is merely abiding with the Collective Labour Agreement; however, there is more than meets the eye here and we look to engage the Corporation at the soonest.
Separately, the Corporation in a statement shared that it undertook works towards improving the estate’s operations. The GAWU while happy to hear about this development has noted that the works were in keeping with the company’s new Strategic Plan. Again, the GAWU must lament and point out that, so far, the Union has not been formally apprised about the plan. We did share recently that we have made several attempts over the last year to seek to meet the Company to become au fait with its plans. Our sincere attempts to become more knowledgeable of the Corporation’s plans, dishearteningly, have been rebuffed. Even our most recent correspondence to the Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer on the subject remains unacknowledged.
We noted the Corporation, through its statement, appealed “…to all of its employees to continue to support… the implementation of its Strategic Plan…”. Dismayingly, while the workers’ support is requested, the GuySuCo, thus far, is yet to engage the workers’ representatives on the plan which it seeks support for. This is akin to placing the horse before the cart. The GAWU also could not help but notice the Corporation’s statement referring to the “…estate producing value-added production, such as, white sugar and co-generation…”. This is in stark contrast to what the Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan who told the Stabroek News recently that co-generation has been shelved for the time being. We wonder who is right?
The GAWU will continue to remain supportive of the sugar workers who are standing up to principle to defend their hard won conditions and to demand that they be treated with respect and dignity. They simply seek to be treated, like all workers, with decency and dignity. The seeming vestiges of massa day belong to the relics of the past. At this time, we urge the Corporation to keep abreast with the enlightened times and be more respectful to the first concerns and interest of its workers.
Yours faithfully,
Seepaul Narine
General Secretary
GAWU
