President David Granger, by letter of October 04, has responded to the GAWU and the nation’s sugar workers following the submission of a petition by sugar workers calling on him and his Administration to approve a pay rise to them. The petition, which was supported by some 3,500 workers, has called on the President to recognize the plight of the workers who have been severely hard-pressed by the contemporary realities of life. It is probably one of the most subscribed petitions ever received by the President or any President for that matter. It undoubtedly, in our view, should have attracted profound contemplation and serious consideration of the expressions. This, however, it appears was not the case and rather a robotic, stereotype response was provided.
The President’s response which reached the GAWU on October 10, almost a week after his correspondence is dated, informed that the petition has been forwarded to the GuySuCo. While the President did not share the rationale for his actions, he said he awaited advice from the Corporation on the way forward.
The response of the President is hardly what the workers wanted to hear especially taking account of the situation they and their family face. Certainly, the sugar workers were hopeful that the President would have displayed decisive leadership and, through his influence, ensure that their pay was improved for the first time in the life of his Administration. This appears not to be the case and there is little hope that the Corporation would provide a positive indicator to the Administration on the matter unless there is a clear mandate from the powers-that-be. Of course, the Administration has already signalled publicly that workers of the State would be benefitting from pay rises and the continued exclusion of the sugar workers could only be seen as discriminatory.
The demands by the sugar workers to receive an improvement in pay are not without sincere merit and justification. The GAWU has pointed out, on several occasions, how far the earnings of sugar workers have fallen in recent times. Of course, as is now well-known, in the same period the cost-of-living has ascended greatly and those developments have placed, indeed, heavy burdens on the backs of the workers.
The apparent snub by the President as he ignores the cries, plight and circumstances of our nation’s sugar workers represents another slap in the face of the hard-working and dedicated employees of the industry. It is simply saddening and upsetting when one considers the treatment of the workers during the life of the current Administration. It is a far cry from the embrace they would have received prior to the incumbent Administration taking office. Today, all those commitments the workers would have heard have simply become meaningless and the promises for betterment have all but been dashed. As we consider the situation, it is apt to recollect that once bitten, twice shy.
