The sugar industry has been the centre of several infamous battles which has been documents for posterity. Those incidents remind us of the wretched conditions and harsh measures imposed by the plantocracy on those who toiled the plantations. The flashpoints tell us of the heroism, selflessness and sacrifice made by our ancestors to better our lives and for which we should remain eternally grateful.
One of these most infamous incidents occurred on March 13, 1913 at Rose Hall Estate. The plantation was in ferment as workers struggled for betterment and resistance to inhuman living conditions which were an integral part of plantation life. On that occasion their struggle ended in carnage when fifteen (15) workers were killed, including a woman who was shot in her stomach, and of them forty-one (41) received serious injury. At the time it was perhaps the deadliest indenture-era suppression of unrest in the Caribbean and elsewhere.
As we specifically give recognition and pay tribute to those who fell at Plantation Rose Hall we are reminded that they left a legacy which runs through the veins of the contemporary workforce of the sugar industry. The fallen workers remind us that sugar’s history is enriched by the struggles, sacrifices and the sweat and blood of the working class. That spirit continues throughout the years and survives to this day in the industry.
As we recall the Rose Hall martyrdom, we are reminded of the struggles of the estate in recent times. Like their ancestors, the modern day Rose Hall workers stood up valiantly to defend their way of life, to protect their livelihoods and to stand up to those who sought without any rational reason to push them on to the breadline. Their struggles attracted allies from all walks of life and their story of tragedy and pain touched the conscience of many Guyanese. Today, those who shuttered Rose Hall Estate have been banished from power and a new day has dawned.
Unlike the past few years, there is new found hope at Rose Hall as the Irfaan Ali Government has hit the ground running and stayed true to its promise to revitalize the sugar industry and reopen the estates closed by the Coalition Government. Today, the depression that had engulfed the communities following Rose Hall’s closure has lifted and optimism has now filled the air. We know of the deep appreciation of the people who are now being able to put their lives back together as the nightmare of joblessness has come to an end.
As we recall the Martyrs, we are aware that Rose Hall Estate is slated to be the first factory to resume operations. The estate is now a hive of activities. We have learnt that several hundred of those who were shoved coldly on the breadline have been able to regain their jobs and regain a source of pride that was taken from them. Several hundred more will be taken on in the weeks and months to come.
Indeed, this is a most fitting tribute to the Martyrs whose selflessness we hail on this occasion. Many years have gone by since that fateful period when the workers from Rose Hall were killed. The GAWU pays its respect to their memory. They dared to challenge the existing socio-economic order for a better day. But improvement is a constant feature of our existence and, in our day, a new generation continues to raise its voice and make fresh demands for all-round improvements.
In our fight of today, we also remember past battles and those like the Rose Hall Martyrs who had been the victims of colonial plunder and exploitation and fatal violence. GAWU feels that history’s lessons should not be forgotten lest workers lower their vigilance and succumb to disunity which would be to their detriment. Workers struggles have not come to a close. Indeed, their struggles continue but in a different context and in different circumstances than what faced the Rose Hall Martyrs.
In the face of these challenges before us, let us draw inspiration from the example of the Rose Hall Martyrs.
