The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has recognized that Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder is reported in the January 05, 2018 Stabroek News as saying that “…the Minister of Finance is presently ‘scraping’ to find the estimated sum of $5B which is needed to cover the severance”. But then Minister Holder in the December 22, 2017 Stabroek News was reported said “…from the 2018 budget to the Agriculture Ministry to pay the workers. In addition to the budgetary allocations, he also pointed out that there are funds that will also be available through other avenues that will be used to pay the workers”. For our Union, the two statements are at odds and the Minister in a matter of days has moved from saying the monies are available for severance to now the monies are still yet to be completely found.
Added to that we recognize the Minister made another telling admission. Between the December 22, 2017 and January 05, 2018 editions of the Stabroek News we have seen the Minister moving from saying that “payouts will commence in January” to now saying that he is hopeful that the severance payments “will be paid by the end of January”. Clearly, from the Minister’s most recent statement it seems there is no clear timeframe as to when the payments would actually be made.
The shifty statements from the Minister are another woeful blow to the already beleaguered workers who are facing severe pressures and difficulties at this time. The workers who should have received their payments on December 29, 2017 are obviously growing anxious at this time taking into account they have no more pay days but they have to continue to meet life’s expenses. For our Union, it seems, that the Minister and his colleagues can be least bothered by the trials and travails the workers confront since they were made jobless.
At this time, when the situation has already taken a most startling turn the Government and the GuySuCo need to advise the workers about the date of the severance payments and alternative employment prospects. While we seek that the workers receive what is due to them and are taken care of in the weeks and months ahead, we still strongly believe that it is still not too late for the sad decisions to be reversed. Certainly, given the substantial expressions of interest such call is not unfounded and clearly demonstrate that the wrong decision has been taken.
