Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder i quoted in the December 06, Guyana Chronicle as saying “I am, pleased to report that our caring government… has paid severance to all employees who were severed at the end of 2017.It was done on November the 30th”. For the thousands who have been affected by the closure of estates, they wonder if a caring government would really put them out of jobs; put their families in miserable situations, and simply leave them up the river without a paddle. The actions of the Coalition Government hardly personify the notion of a caring government.
Moreover, while the Minister makes it seem that the Government was doing the workers a favour, the fact remains that the workers were lawfully entitled to their severance payments – plain and simple. In fact to receive what was dutifully owed to them, the workers had to raise their voices in protest to get the Administration to recognise this glaring reality and it required Judicial intervention to force action. The Minister, it seems too, was boasting that the severance payments were finally settled on November 30th, 2017 though it was to be paid to the workers since December 29, 2017. Minister Holder, we saw too sought, to downplay that several million dollars more had to be found to pay interest on the outstanding payments to the workers after the Court found that the Administration acted incorrectly to withhold the severance payments. It goes to show that the injustices perpetuated seldom go without repercussion.
The goodly Agriculture Minister also reportedly says “[i]n 2016, an agreement was made to commence payment of the severance packages by May that year to workers who opted not to work at the Uitvlugt Estate, following the closure of Wales several months earlier.However, just before the scheduled date for payment of the severance packages,Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE)sought and received an order of the court which stopped GuySuCo from making the payments.” It seems that the Minister is imagining things.
We wish to remind the Minister that Wales Estate was closed in December, 2016 and not some months prior to May,2016 as he reportedly said. Moreover, regarding to court action by GAWU and NAACIE, we have pointed on several occasions that this was used as a red-herring to deny the workers their payments. The Union’s Court Action was approved early May, 2016 but the severance pay were due to workers on April 23,2016. Clearly, contrary to the Minister’s assertions, the Court Action was in no way impeding the payments. The denial, it appears, was meant to rub salt in the wound. But our Union’s approach to the Court became necessary after the GuySuCo disobeyed the law requiring GAWU’s presence during the conveying of the decision to terminate the workers. It is instructive to note that the Court,after listening to arguments, sided with the GAWU on the matter.
On Wales, the GAWU was again forced to approach the Courts in March, 2017 after GuySuCo compelled the 350-odd cane cutters of Wales to take up work at Uitvlugt though the law said this was improper. Apart from the compulsion, several threats and intimidatory tactics were deployed against the workers. Nevertheless, the workers did not retreat and on several occasions, as recent as December 05, this year protested the unfair denial of their severance payments. As several sections of the media reported, the Court ruled in the workers favour and awarded interests as well.The Minister told the Chronicle, however, “…we decided to settle”. It should be noted that the Corporation was, initially, vehement in not paying interest and then it subsequently made a small concession. Nevertheless, the Court recognizing the injustice perpetuated against the workers awarded interest from the time of termination.
The Minister and the Government now,clearly, in a defensive positive are saying they will respect the ruling of the Court and, even as the ship is sinking, have sought to say GAWU was preventing the payment though Newsroom on February 01, this year reported the Union’s President, Komal Chand as saying “… GAWU is willing to drop the matter in the court once GuySuCo agrees to pay the workers their severance instead of forcing them to work at Uitvlugt”. The GAWU was never in the way, but it was the heartlessness of the Government which it seemed was intent on punishing the workers, probably into submission, that was on naked display. Now, the Government and GuySuCo will be required to find several million dollars to meet the interest payments. Indeed, apart from the financial implications, the clear embarrassment to the Administration of another loss in Court could have been avoided had it been respectful of the laws of the land and the rights of the workers.
We wish to remind the Government that “Moon ah run till daylight ketch am”.
