Sugar workers in day 8 of strike at Albion

Posted By Stabroek staff On July 24, 2012 In Local |

Hundreds of cane harvesters continued strike action yesterday at the Albion Estate on the Corentyne—blocking the road leading to the entrance of the factory—over low payments being instituted for ‘over-run’ canes.

Over- run canes are canes that have been left back from the previous crop and which were not cut. Those canes would have lost their sugar content and can be deemed spoiled.

Efforts made to contact Seepaul Narine or Komal Chand of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) yesterday proved futile.

Striking sugar workers at Albion yesterday

When Stabroek News arrived on the scene, over 500 angry and frustrated workers were standing in front of the factory. They had been on strike for over a week now, they said, and no solution from management had been forthcoming.

Vickram Shreekishan of the 14A Gang, said, “the people are demanding $4,000 for the over-run cane, and if we don’t get that, they should burn somewhere else— fresh canes”. The worker added if they are given fresh canes to work with, they will return to work.

This has been affecting the workers very much, he said, “because is eight days now people not working; people get families; schools will reopen soon and you get light and phone bills… and like nobody cares nothing!”

Shreekishan added that the estate officials dropped the price because “of the new management come in and they want to do their own thing”. Just then, shouts could be heard, “abe want the estate manager move out!”

GAWU Rep, Joshua Appadu, told reporters, “They shared 15 rows of punts when the people asked for 10 rows of punts and the price that they offered— $800— and the people refused the prices for that and the workers asked that the ‘over-run’ cane must be $4,000 per punt so we came out since last Saturday and we striking and asking for $4,000 per punt and nobody ain’t looking in to we.”

He added that he asked the estate manager on Sunday about the difference he would pay for the canes “and the man said he cannot do anything and everything remains the same so we still at the same condition and location here”.

Bicycles and wooden planks used to block the entrance to the factory

Additionally, the workers are demanding that the Estate Manager, Mr Dev Kumar go. When he arrived during the strike action yesterday, he tried to bargain with the workers and asked them to remove the barrier along the roadway. “No, no, no!” they responded. “You have to go! You have to go!” they chanted. “You see, he can’t even stay and talk to the workers; he don’t have nothing to say to us!” shouted another worker.

Stabroek News tried to elicit a comment from Kumar who declined and quickly wound his car windows up and left the scene.

At the recent Honours Roll function at Blairmont a few weeks ago, Minister of Agriculture, Dr Leslie Ramsammy had pledged his continued support to work with “the workers and walk the field with you, so that, instead of periods of disharmony, we can have greater periods of harmony and I will represent every part of this industry, the workers, union, management and my government, to make sure that we keep GuySuCo as the number one industry in this country”.

He also called for GuySuCo not to be used as a political tool and asked that if anyone has any query or problem with the company, to step forward to either his ministry or the management, to find the answers.

“There must be a platform that is suitable… when workers find it necessary to take strike action, then we in management, the unions and the workers must be given that space in which to resolve those difficulties without other people compounding and complicating the search for solutions.

“The truth also, is that, the sugar industry today is more weather- sensitive than it has ever been in its history; not only because of our weather, with climate change is not the kind of weather that is supportive of this industry, but because some of our challenges have forced mechanisation of the industry, at the same time that climate change have brought unfavourable weather, the industry itself, is more weather- sensitive, than it has ever been in its history.”