The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has taken note of President David Granger’s message on the payment of redundancy pay to the 4,000 displaced sugar workers. The message, read by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo during yesterday’s (January 10, 2018) Parliamentary sitting, has confirmed the worst fears of many workers that their full redundancy payments would not be honoured in a timely manner. For many of the thousands of families affected, the receipt of those payments is critical to their sustenance at this sorrowful time. We recognized that President Granger, through his message delivered notably by the Prime Minister, has that said only half of the workers’ entitlements would be available by month-end and the remainder will be available sometime in the second half of 2018. It seems that while the grass is growing the horse is starving and it is apt to note that the workers’ redundancy payments are a legal requirement. Certainly it is due in full payment at the end of the month’s notice period – December 29, 2017.
The GAWU also recognized that the President’s commitment is different from that of his Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder. Yesterday’s (January 10, 2018) Guyana Chronicle reports that the Minister to have said that the Government “has given assurances that the hundreds of workers made redundant at the end of December, 2017, will receive their severance pay by the end of January 2018”. This only adds to the confusion of what is clearly an upsetting and depressing situation. This type of confusion or game-playing seems to be characteristic of this Coalition Government and, certainly, do not do the distressed workers any good.
President Granger’s message pointed out that the Government is finding difficulty to accumulate the funds required to offset the severance payments though the Administration was aware for some months that the monies had to be found for such payments. But for the sugar workers who last received earnings on December 29, 2017, the repainting perfectly good buildings or building impressive fences as well as other extravagances do not seem to illustrate there is a lack of finances.
The President pointed to the sums that the Government has invested in the industry in recent times. Two-thirds of that expenditure took place during his term of office. That fact of notoriety, we believe, should have leapt out at him and cause him to question why sugar production has slumped 40 per cent during the period of the Coalition Government especially at a time when employment costs have fallen by 15 per cent in the same period.
From the message we also gleaned that just 100 or 2.5 per cent of the displaced workers would benefit from training programmes that are organized. In terms of the sum of $100M being made available to workers for the pursuit of other economic endeavors, this is equivalent to a measly $25,000 per displaced worker. Such sum, we contend, is hardly sufficient to engage in any serious economic activity. That sum is even inadequate to get off the ground the heavily touted plantain chip and cook-up rice endeavours.
We dismayingly recognized too that largely nothing was said about the work of the Sugar Special Purpose Unit (SPU) except to speak to its establishment. We cannot help but wonder whether this Unit’s work will still be pursued and to what extent. Expectedly, the President’s message should have provided a little more clarity in this regard especially given previous pronouncements.
We noted too the President’s commitment to engage the workers’ organisations. Our Union looks forward to meeting with him and his Administration on the question of the industry’s future and the plans for workers. Just a few days ago, we sent to Minister of State, Joseph Harmon a request for such an interaction and we have every reason to believe, in light of the President’s statement, such an engagement would be soon forthcoming.
The President’s approach, through a message to the National Assembly, to communicate what is depressing news we note is different from his predecessors. While we accept that each leader will have his or her own style, for the thousands that are affected by the callous sugar plans it only aggravates the deep wounds that have been inflicted. It is time that the President and his Administration walk the villages, engage the workers and their families and tell them what plans his Government has for them.
