Minister Broomes to sugar workers No padlocks will be placed on factory gates
WORKERS of the Enmore Sugar Factory and Enmore Packaging Plant were on Friday reassured that there is no truth in rumours that the factory or the sugar industry would be closed down by the David Granger Administration.This assurance was given to senior managers and workers at the Enmore facility by Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, The Honourable Simona Broomes during a site visit.
Minister Broomes greets a female engineer at the Enmore Sugar Factory on Friday
The minister was accompanied by Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle and other senior officials from the labour department of the Ministry of Social Protection.
During interaction with the junior workers at the factory and the packaging plant, there was one burning issue that they needed to have addressed and clarified: rumour that the Government will on Monday close the factory down.
The workers told Minister Broomes that they were informed that there were plans to have locks placed on the gates this coming Monday, so that workers would not be able to enter the factory; those rumours were rubbished by the minister, who said that such “news” serves better in the back of a Cevon’s Waste Management Truck as it is trash.
Workers could not say who or from what source the “news” kept coming, but since the week started there has been much unease at the location, with workers constantly asking managers to come clean with them. According to Broomes, the rumours were spread by persons who were bent on creating mischief.
Once the issue of the closure was out of the way, the workers then began expressing their concerns over the conditions under which they were being forced to work at the factory.
They spoke of protective gear which are of very poor quality, leaking roofs, the absence of durable face and dusk masks, overalls for men working in the boiling room and salaries as well as remittances to the credit union.
Asked specifically about the issue of the Occupational Health and Safety aspect of the workers, the minister was quick to point out what may have been responsible for the build-up of all the little problems at the factory.
She pointed to a decision by her predecessor who had placed a halt on all inspections and site visits by the staff of the labour department.
Workers listen attentively as Minister Broomes assures them there will be no closure of the sugar industry
According to Minister Broomes, when the workers heard that she was willing to inspect the conditions under which the staff at the factory were working, they were very elated since they were eager to also see for themselves what was going on in the fields.
The staff of the labour section were reportedly barred from doing inspections and submitting reports not only at sugar factories, but at all other establishments across the country, something that has been described as a breach of the responsibilities of the labour office which ought to keep up to speed with the conditions under which workers were working.
At present, both Minister Volda Lawrence and Simona Broomes are inspecting various arms of the state that fall under the Ministry of Social Protection and according to Minister Broomes, there is practically no foundation to build on and most of the work now has to begin from scratch.
Among those present with the minister as she interacted with the workers were the Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle, managers of the Enmore Sugar Factory and other senior officers from the labour department
The Guyana Chronicle was informed that the two ministers with the Social Protection Ministry portfolio would be travelling to the rest of the country to meet with workers in the mining, rice, sugar and other sectors to get first- hand experience of the conditions under which they are working.
The minister related too that the visits would not just be introductory ones but rather frequent, as they were tasked by President Granger to ensure that they have much contact with the people as possible to hear directly from them.
Minister Broomes did however admit that based on her deliberations with the workers and management of the factory, she is convinced that they were trying to address certain issues with the workers.
The workers were assured that all the issues which were raised would be addressed, but there would be some degree of priority given to those which the ministry considers very critical for the smooth functioning of the factory and the comfort of the works.
Last evening, efforts to contact the former Minister of Labour Nanda Gopaul for comments and clarifications on his reported instructions to halt all inspections by labour officers, were futile.
By Leroy Smith