I believe the strike is politically motivated, because of the positions of GAWU executive in the PPP and Jagdeo's  stance against the government.

I also do not believe, based on the work done by sugar workers, they are paid well for their services. Many with children in school struggle to make ends meet.    

Holder says sugar workers ‘highest paid’ in the country

Tuesday , October 27 2015, Citizen’s Report, Source

SUGAR workers are calling for an increase and their union’s – Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) – wage claim, according to a statement, was submitted to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) since March 08, 2015. “The Union has been unable to get the Corporation to sit at the bargaining table for wages discussions,” GAWU said.  With no favourable response from GuySuCo the workers across the sugar belt opted for strike action.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder, when asked about his view of the actions, said, “GAWU has gone on strike. GAWU knows that GuySuCo workers are the highest paid in the country. I was surprised to discover it, until I saw bits and pieces of the Commission of Inquiry report.”

He has slammed the action as a political move, despite the fact that GAWU has made clear the reasons for the strike action, as well as the fact that the political opposition, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has stated that the action in an industrial matter.

“Obviously they (GAWU) do not want GuySuCo to meet its target…why should they, when the industry is doing so well, call a strike?” Holder questioned, when interviewed by Citizens’ Report.

He added, “GuySuCo has been politicized over the years and it destroyed all the management systems…..they (the PPP) have not maintained what should have been done for political reasons…they destroyed the management systems that were there….the interim team is putting those systems back in place.”

Holder went further to point out that Chand is a member of the PPP. “Whether he is in the Parliament or not, he is a senior member of the PPP,” he said.

The decision to move to strike action followed a meeting of the GAWU General Council on Saturday, where the non-commencement of the negotiations was addressed and it strike action was unanimously agreed to.

Tola, what of those strikes called by GAWU when the PPP was in power? Were those political too? There is a collective agreement in place and it was not adhered to. This seems to be the practice of the coalition.  Previously, they criricized the previous government for not following the collective agreement and imposing a wage hike on public sector workers. Now, they imposed a raise for public service workers without following the terms of the collective agreement.

I don't know if canecutters are the highest paid workers now. I know that when I left Guyana 19 years ago, a canecutter who used to visit my neighbour and who accompanied me and my neighbour to the airport was highly paid compared to public servants. In addition to regular bonus canecutters got annual production incentives [API]. I must point out, however, that unlike public servants, cane cutters don't work every week/month of the year because of the seasonal nature of sugar crops.

Let's wait for the release of the COI report to verify the numbers.

I don't know if canecutters are the highest paid workers now. I know that when I left Guyana 19 years ago, a canecutter who used to visit my neighbour and who accompanied me and my neighbour to the airport was highly paid compared to public servants. In addition to regular bonus canecutters got annual production incentives [API]. I must point out, however, that unlike public servants, cane cutters don't work every week/month of the year because of the seasonal nature of sugar crops.

Let's wait for the release of the COI report to verify the numbers.

Canecutters did piece work,yes more punts they fill the more pay they get. But when the crop is over, there is NO unemployment benefits, they live on CREDIT until the next crop. The young, healthy and strong canecutter will earn a decent pay, as they get older the work becomes more difficult and the pay declines.I worked in the sugar factory, there is NO SUCH THING AS HIGHLY PAID CANECUTTERS. they just get by.Most canecutters are uneducated,doing unskilled hard work which very few would want to do.It's an insult to say canecutters are highly paid.

I don't know if canecutters are the highest paid workers now. I know that when I left Guyana 19 years ago, a canecutter who used to visit my neighbour and who accompanied me and my neighbour to the airport was highly paid compared to public servants. In addition to regular bonus canecutters got annual production incentives [API]. I must point out, however, that unlike public servants, cane cutters don't work every week/month of the year because of the seasonal nature of sugar crops.

Let's wait for the release of the COI report to verify the numbers.

If you're thin-skinned, you'll consider it an insult and may draw your cutlass when we meet. If you're thick-skinned, you'll recognize that we just have a difference of opinion.

Let's wait for the COI release of canecutters' annual wages.

Like you, kp, my father was a factory worker. He worked in Uitvlugt factory for 40+ years, retired in 1986 and migrated to Canada. He received his pension from Uitvlugt after submitting a Life Certificate every 3 months from the Guyana Consulate in Toronto to the pay office. After he died in 1999, my mother also got money from Guysuco upon submitting her own 3-month life certificates.

My father's wages financed the upbringing of 6 children, paid for school fees, textbooks and uniform for 5 of us, before Burnham introduced free education in 1976. He got a sugar welfare loan of $1,000 in 1959 to build his house and repaid it in 10 years with a deduction of $1 from his weekly wages.

After household expenses, box-hand and bank deposits, my father had money left over to drink every Friday and Saturday at Fred Ying's rum shop with friends like Sanko, Garam and Goolfaam.

Eight of us in the family ate three full meals daily. All from his sugar factory wages.

My father was only one of thousands of estate pensioners. I suppose GuySuCo has to foot a hefty pension bill every year, money that should come from sugar sales.

You sound like the esteemed Mr, Lucas here, but you did point out the pertinent fact highlighted in bold that made your prelude void.  It is the annual income that counts so you can have an oranges to oranges comparison.

Was your father a canecutter?  Did he support his family as a canecutter?

He had canecutta friends. Dem bai used to buy more rum than he.

Yuh talking share shit Gil.

He got a sugar welfare loan of $1,000 in 1959 to build his house and repaid it in 10 years with a deduction of $1 from his weekly wages.

Let's hold our breath till the COI report becomes public. We shall know whether Holder is lying.

Was there a COI before the ministers' pay increases?

He had canecutta friends. Dem bai used to buy more rum than he.

Like yuh father did numbers like dem Coalition bais Gilly.

Holder says sugar workers ‘highest paid’ in the country

it would seems that he is suffering from some kind of incurable diseases chopping away at his brains.

I can take your reply in many ways, maybe your dad don't like to buy drinks, but on the other hand , them canecutters are the most free handed. I was offered many free drinks by poor hard working fellas. For awhile I worked in the pay office at Uitvlugt, every Friday afternoon, wives would be at the pay booth, so as soon as their husbands get pay, they would grab the envelope and take money to buy food for the family, otherwise ,he would go straight to the rum shop  [SAMLALL's}and pay his debts. I know sugar, my Grandfather, my Father and myself worked at Uitvlugt Sugar Estate, after leaving the Staff Compound we lived in Ocean View, everyone knew my grandfather those days.

He bought the drinks alright, but my mother used to send me to Fred Ying and Charran rum shops to pull him home before he blew out the brown envelope.

If you're thin-skinned, you'll consider it an insult and may draw your cutlass when we meet. If you're thick-skinned, you'll recognize that we just have a difference of opinion.

Let's wait for the COI release of canecutters' annual wages.

Like you, kp, my father was a factory worker. He worked in Uitvlugt factory for 40+ years, retired in 1986 and migrated to Canada. He received his pension from Uitvlugt after submitting a Life Certificate every 3 months from the Guyana Consulate in Toronto to the pay office. After he died in 1999, my mother also got money from Guysuco upon submitting her own 3-month life certificates.

My father's wages financed the upbringing of 6 children, paid for school fees, textbooks and uniform for 5 of us, before Burnham introduced free education in 1976. He got a sugar welfare loan of $1,000 in 1959 to build his house and repaid it in 10 years with a deduction of $1 from his weekly wages.

After household expenses, box-hand and bank deposits, my father had money left over to drink every Friday and Saturday at Fred Ying's rum shop with friends like Sanko, Garam and Goolfaam.

Eight of us in the family ate three full meals daily. All from his sugar factory wages.

My father was only one of thousands of estate pensioners. I suppose GuySuCo has to foot a hefty pension bill every year, money that should come from sugar sales.

Fred Ying was across the Community Center, after hours Fred Ying used to drop a long rope with a basket, you put your money first then he would drop down the basket with the rum and change, later that shop was bought over by Niranjan Singh.[dispenser]

It look like we had the same Papa, same story exactly.

You sure he na work at Albion factory one time ?

Ooops!!!... that should be $2 weekly. Me sarry, man.

Nah, Tolabai. Me great aja wuk ah Uitvlugt. Me aja wuk same place. Me daddy wuk same place. One ah me sissy wuk same place, in de office.