Bridgetown.
General Secretary of the Barbados Workers Union Sir Leroy Trotman says he’s disgusted at the treatment being meted out to sugar workers on the island.
The veteran trade unionist says sugar workers are being marginalised and made to look like trash.
Sir Roy made the remarks yesterday at the BWU headquarters after officials of the Barbados Agricultural Management Company (the BAMC) failed to , to discuss the future of scores of sugar workers. This as Barbados moves to a one factory solution from next year.
A delegation of sugar workers of the BWU, led by Sir Roy prepared to meet with officials of the BAMC to discuss the future of sugar workers at the Union's Solidarity House headquarters.
But not one of the sugar workers employers the BAMC turned up, instead a four member delegation from the Barbados Cane Industry Corporation (BCIC) which is to be the new employers of the workers under the one factory option turned up. That delegation was led by Carl Simpson.
Sir Roy told them they had no status with the BWU since the union has never held talks with them in any respect pertaining to sugar workers and he was entertaining them only as a goodwill gesture.
This as they sought to make a presentation about restructuring in the industry to the BWU delegation.
Sir Roy told the members of the BCIC that discussions on any terms and contracts pertaining to sugar workers have only been held so far with the BAMC and any way forward for sugar workers has to be hammered out under the auspices of these two parties.
The top union official deemed the move by the BAMC as insulting, saying he could not understand this level of disrespect at this time.
He added that he would be speaking to acting Prime Minister Richard Sealy on the matter, since it appeared that one of the major players in the sugar sector wasn’t really serious about charting a way forward for the industry.
Sir Roy suggested to the BCIC delegation that the hard and pertinent questions surrounding the pending closure of Andrew's Factory and its impact on the workers would have to be answered by the BAMC.
CBC understands that there are nearly 250 workers employed at the two sugar factories, Portvale and Andrew’s and that when Andrews is closed at least 60 to 70 workers will be laid off.
The sugar workers also want questions answered about the upgrading, the retooling and retraining involved in the new multi-purpose factory at Andrew's.
When contacted a top sugar industry official told CBC the BWU had asked for a presentation to be made by the BCIC and it was arranged for Tuesday September 24th, and no meeting with the BAMC was set for Tuesday, hence the move could never be deemed as a no show by that entity.
The official said he had no further comment on the matter at this stage.
CBC also understands that the BAMC made a similar presentation to the sub-committee of the social partnership on July 26th and the BWU was not invited to tha
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