This morning (September 24, 2018), several workers of Blairmont Estate took part in a picketing exercise at estate’s orderline to demonstrate their strong disagreement regarding demands, if not an edict, by the GuySuCo for their wages to be paid through the bank. The workers placards read as follows:-
- Pay us at Pay Offices
- GuySuCo must stop coercing us to use the bank system
- End coercing us to use the Banking System
- Law requires payment of wages in money only
- No CONSULTATION is Big Stick Methodology
- Consult us – No Dictation to US
- Blairmont Estate must respect workers’ rights
- Down with big stick methodology – Consult us – Don’t compel us
The protestors explained that in utilizing the banking system, they will incur bank charges, taxi fares apart from the significant loss of time every week to transact withdrawals from their bank accounts. The additional costs also must be borne against a backdrop of the present wage freeze imposed in the sugar industry since 2015. During that time, workers are now made to pay VAT on electricity and water, taxes have been imposed on previously exempt goods, etc, these are all adding up to making life a nightmare. The demonstrators used the opportunity to call on the Corporation for the timely payment of their wages every week as they are literally living pay day to pay day and delays, as have been occurring so regularly, add to workers’ frustration.
The protesting workers shared, at this time, they are being threatened and coerced into agreeing to have their wages sent to the bank. They pointed out that should they request a job letter or seek the estate’s assistance with regard to NIS claims, for instance, they are told such assistance would be withheld until they agree to have their wages payable through the bank. This is most disturbing and can be seen as tantamount to blackmail while adding to hardships they today face.
Apart from the very compelling reasons advanced, the Corporation’s thrust runs contrary to the Labour Act which requires at Section 19(1) that wages be paid in money. But apart from that, the Act goes on, at Section 19(4) to mandate employers to pay wages at convenient places near to the workplace. This is noteworthy and the Corporation, we believe, should not ignore this fact nor the workers reasonable positions.
The GAWU stands with the workers and the pensioners and calls on the Corporation to do what is right and decent and to pay the workers at their regular pay offices as they have been doing for a long time now. The compulsion and threatening attitude of the GuySuCo will not augur well to improve relations between the workers and the management which has been badly beaten over the last three (3) years.
