The Guyana Sugar Corporation in a statement Tuesday said that the leader of the largest workers’ union in the sugar industry in the interview admitted that both his union and the workers recognize that their current strike action will seriously affect sugar production and went further to disclose that they were well aware of how necessary increased production was to alleviate the present financial circumstances of the industry. Komal Chand made the statements during a recent interview with the BBC Caribbean.
The Sugar Industry stated that to engage in such a deliberate plan to cripple the industry is both hypocritical and outmoded. The Corporation is left pondering how the union and workers expect it will find the necessary resources to sustain its operations and even more so offer any wage increase. Mr. Chand in his interview lashed out at the Government and Corporation for “having nothing coming forward which is why the workers felt that they at least must engage in some protest”.
Guysuco reported that such a statement could only be described as extremely ill-conceived, emotive and lacks empiric substance as it is already public knowledge that the workers were offered up to 5% in wages and salaries increases once specific targets were met. The Corporation offered to extend the current crop into the New Year to ensure the target was met as it was already confirmed even by Mr. Chand that enough canes were available. The Corporation’s offer was frowned upon by the union fully aware that the industry was not capable of paying beyond this point but it still kept demanding more. The Industry says that now that this ill advised action was taken the entire issue of any increase must now be revisited and hangs in doubt.
At this critical juncture, the sugar industry says it needs all the support it can garner to survive this current period as it looks forward to its many investments beginning to generate the desired results and to move it out of its current predicament to a position of financial stability and profitability in the not too distant future. Guysuco is calling on the union leaders to let good sense prevail and restore normalcy to the industry.
