Berbice: The sickening labour dispute within the sugar industry continued when around 70 workers attached to the Rose Hall Estate downed their tools yesterday because management decided to give them four days of out-of-crop work and not five.
Already, there is unrest at several other estates owing to the delay in the payment of holiday incentives and a ‘flawed’ salary agreement reached between the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the management of the Enmore Sugar Estate.
The workers downed tools Wednesday morning charging that if their colleagues at the Albion Estate were granted five days of work, they should get the same. Spokesman for the workers, Shameer Diaram, a GAWU representative disclosed that after investigation, it was learnt that the excuse of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) for not offering them five days’ work was because of lack of finances.
This explanation, he said, his colleagues are reluctant to believe as only last week factory workers at the Rose Hall Estate complained about not getting enough work, and they were eventually given seven days. Diaram said while Rose Halls’ management is crying broke; his colleagues at Albion are enjoying five days’ work.
“We are protesting against management because they are refusing to give us five days’ work… they are giving Albion five days’ work, which we investigate and we find out… they are giving us four days and the workers are displeased about it. We approach management this morning and they still hold at four days.”
The workers refusing to take on alternative tasks comprised bell loader and tillage operators, and others from the Mechanical Tillage Department. During the out-of-crop period, workers would be given alternative work until sugar production resumes. The action by workers had no effect on the operation at Rose Hall where maintenance is in progress, but would affect the workers pocket because at the end of the week, at least one day’s pay would be deducted from their wages.
“We does do work in the yard… service machines and other work in the yard… out-of-crop period nothing don’t really go on… now we ain’t going to work … we gon hold until them give five days,” said Diaram, as about two dozen workers agreed with him.
A worker, who was sitting on his motorcycle, related that workers from the factory protested for about two hours last week and were able to get seven days work, including double on Sundays and “it’s a crying shame that we have to protest for an additional day’s work.” The workers said that the money earned from four days cannot support their families.
The estate’s manager, Tribawan Shivpersaud when contacted stated the group of workers usually conduct repairs to tractors and other field machinery during the out-of-crop period, and also repair roads that concern the estate, but due to the prevailing inclement weather, not much could be done so the protest does not have any impact on the factory. He stated that there is not enough work to be done at the Rose Hall Estate to offer five days of work to the protesting group.
