The GAWU General Council at its meeting on June 22, 2018 unanimously approved a resolution calling on the Government of Guyana to stop twiddling its thumbs and to end the confusion and indecision that is now stifling the sugar industry. Through the resolution, the General Council expressed its displeasure over the absence of a GuySuCo Board of Directors since February, this year. The Council noted that the absence stymies work towards the approval and implementation of plans that seek to put the industry on a sounder footing following the securing of some $30B from the Government-backed bond. The resolution also called on the Government to appoint a competent Board with a mandate to maintain the operations of Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt estates and to involve the workers organizations to assist in putting GuySuCo on a sustainable path.
The meeting was also very concerned about the situation that now confronts thousands of Guyanese in the communities linked to the now closed Skeldon, Rose Hall, East Demerara and Wales Estates. The General Council was very upset to learn about the tragedies that jobless workers now face and the serious challenges the ex-sugar workers and their families experience on a daily basis. In a resolution, the meeting called on the Administration to implement a programme of safety nets to address the sad realities the workers now face.
The General Council was upset that the state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo), though required by the Laws of Guyana, among other things, is refusing to engage the GAWU in Collective Bargaining. The meeting noted that engagements between the Union and the Corporation could not held up as Collective Bargaining noting that the GuySuCo did not engage in good faith discussions. The Council called on GuySuCo to engage the Union and to address, meaningfully, the plight of the sugar workers who are hard-pressed by the challenges of contemporary life.
The meeting was also dismayed regarding the disrespect the payment of redundancy pay to the retrenched sugar workers of the now closed estates. The Council noted that though the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act was clear and unambiguous and that workers entitlements should be fully settled at the end of their notice period, the GuySuCo and the Government proceeded to pay workers whose entitlement exceeded $500,000 in two (2) halves, with the latter half still outstanding at this time. On this score, the meeting approved a resolution calling on the Government to respect the law and pay the workers their outstanding entitlements forthwith.
The meeting also was disheartened to learn that BEV Processors Inc will end operations in mid-July, 2018. The Council noted that many of the 390 persons employed were women, many of whom were single parents. The meeting appreciated efforts by the Company to seek to secure employment for the soon to be redundant workers but recognized the difficulty to secure jobs at this time. The Council approved a resolution standing in solidarity with the workers at this difficult time for them.
The meeting also reiterated and emphasized the importance of unity in the struggles of the working-class and to continue in a constant way our struggles to defend and promote workers interests. The GAWU General Council comprises representatives from among the Union’s bargaining units and is elected by the Union’s Congress. The Council meets quarterly and is the Union’s highest forum between its Congresses.
