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Major protest hits Berbice.

– as redundant sugar workers take to the streets

By Malisa Playter-Harry

January 10,2018

Source

Scores of sugar workers from the Rose Hall estate, their families, opposition members, region five and six officials together with the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), yesterday morning braved heavy rainfall to protest in relation to the payments of severance for workers who received redundancy letters in December.
The march, which commenced just after 7:00 am with heavy police presence, saw protesters brandishing placards as they walked from the Rose Hall Estate to Canje turn and returned to the point of origin. They were prevented by the police from playing music as they marched along but this coupled with the heavy rains did not deter the sugar workers and their families.
Komal Chand, President of GAWU, told the gathering that persons need to “come out and fight”.
“If you got the pension money, why don’t you use it to pay the people the severance pay? You cannot take sugar workers now and want them to be engineers tomorrow and carpenters tomorrow. Where are the jobs?”
Chand added that the previous discussions and announcements that were made about alternative jobs such as aquaculture, citrus farming, beef and dairy cattle etc., are yet to take shape. According to him,

GAWU made several proposals on how to save sugar, “we talk about the Skeldon Co-Gen facility, last year although production was poor, they sell electricity to the national grid and GPL and they get $9.5 Billion. That $9.5 Billion and from sugar sales last year, you didn’t need any money from Government to keep the factory going”.

A scene from the protest at East Berbice yesterday.

In concluding, the GAWU head appealed that the severance must be paid, noting that they are entitled to it.
“The immediate struggle is for you to get your severance pay. The question is…when?”, Chand charged.
The hundreds of workers are worried that they might not receive their severance pay and they might be placed in a predicament of which workers of the Wales Estate are currently facing…hundreds still to be paid severance promised by the government.

GuySuCo’s Skeldon power assets being sold for US$30m

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Riff posted:

Are you asking the question or is the article asking the question?

So, is he lying?

From what i gathered he is lying,the plant was sold.

What do you say ?

Also the question is opened to other posters.

Django
Last edited by Django

The article heading "Major protest hits Berbice"  Django's misleading heading"Is Komal Chand GAWU President lying to sugar workers". he could not come up with this on his own,this came from the PNC Congress Place in Georgetown. It's a new year ,use your right judgement, do the correct thing, you will have to live with what you say.

K

GuySuCo’s ‘right-sizing’… Unions were raking in $30M-plus monthly from workers


 

GAWU’s leader, Komal Chan

The current restructuring of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is continuing to rock especially the satellite communities that the affected estates surround.
Shops, suppliers, contractors and even taxis and short-drop cars were among those affected, in addition to almost 4,000 workers that were let loose at the end of last year.
So, too, would vendors who would have been plying their trade with snacks and even greens stands that were operating in front the factories.
This is especially so in the case of Wales estate, West Bank Demerara.
The four estates closed over the last 13 months were Skeldon and Rose Hall, in East Berbice; Enmore on the East Demerara, and Wales, West Bank Demerara.
It would amount to the biggest retrenchment of sugar workers in decades.
The administration, acting on recommendations of GuySuCo and the reports of an inquiry and ‘White Paper’ on the future of the industry, decided to close what was described as the least performing estates.
It was disclosed that GuySuCo collected over $32B in the last three years in bailouts but was unable to show signs of a turnaround. Production fell to one of the lowest in years, in 2017.
There are also other affected stakeholders too.
According to information, unions of the sugar workers would be taking a major dent in their revenues.
In fact, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) was reportedly receiving more than $29M monthly or over $300M annually. GAWU is the largest sugar union.
GuySuCo, up to the closures, were boasting more than 16,000 workers- the largest single employer in Guyana.
The other union is the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE), which represents mainly middle management and office staffers.
From information, they received around $3M monthly in workers’ union dues.
The unions have been fighting tooth and nail against the closures and planned divestments and privatisations.
It is unclear how GAWU has been investing its monies but what is known is that GuySuCo has stated its intentions to reduce that 16,000-plus workforce to about 10,000.
That means, under such a scenario, the union is facing a loss of about $10M monthly.
The unions were being blamed by the previous Donald Ramotar administration of not doing much to increase the fortunes of GuySuCo.
In fact, the sugar unions were asked on several occasions to sit on the board of GuySuCo, an appeal that did not find favour.
However, GuySuCo has been accusing the unions of spearheading a significant number of strikes and other industrial actions which has not been helping the GuySuCo situation.
GAWU’s leaders have been closely linked to the former administration, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
In fact, GAWU’s leader, Komal Chand, is an executive of the party, whose support were built on sugar workers.

Pointblank
Pointblank posted:

Komal worried about Union dues not the workers

This is a coalition narrative that you are parroting! Regardless of the motivation the coalition and you attribute to him and have been trying to peddle, the possible beneficiaries of his actions and protests are the sugar workers and their families.

You might want to see the workers union dues as an investment just like the coalition members who argued that the monetary receipt from political donors is an investment which will garner financial returns. Look how good an investment Lawrence Singh (Bunkie) made so that he is receiving astronomical amount of financial returns in the form of rent for the drug bond. How about Ansa Macal investment iof the arch over the east coast highway in return for a large drug supply contract?

Z
Zed posted:
Pointblank posted:

Komal worried about Union dues not the workers

This is a coalition narrative that you are parroting! Regardless of the motivation the coalition and you attribute to him and have been trying to peddle, the possible beneficiaries of his actions and protests are the sugar workers and their families.

You might want to see the workers union dues as an investment just like the coalition members who argued that the monetary receipt from political donors is an investment which will garner financial returns. Look how good an investment Lawrence Singh (Bunkie) made so that he is receiving astronomical amount of financial returns in the form of rent for the drug bond. How about Ansa Macal investment iof the arch over the east coast highway in return for a large drug supply contract?

Wher was Komal Chand when the PPP was shutting down sugar estates. Ask anyone in Berbice and they will tell you that the old factory at Skeldon was producing more than the godeee bharat give them.

 

Pointblank
Last edited by Pointblank
Zed posted:

As far as I know. Diamond was the only estate closed by the PPP government. This was opposed by GAWU and there were demonstrations also overvseverance pay.

You are correct Zed.

FM
Zed posted:
Pointblank posted:

Komal worried about Union dues not the workers

This is a coalition narrative that you are parroting! Regardless of the motivation the coalition and you attribute to him and have been trying to peddle, the possible beneficiaries of his actions and protests are the sugar workers and their families.

You might want to see the workers union dues as an investment just like the coalition members who argued that the monetary receipt from political donors is an investment which will garner financial returns. Look how good an investment Lawrence Singh (Bunkie) made so that he is receiving astronomical amount of financial returns in the form of rent for the drug bond. How about Ansa Macal investment iof the arch over the east coast highway in return for a large drug supply contract?

Where was all of this crying from all of these PPP frauds when decades ago 80% of the bauxite workers of Linden and Kwakwani lost their jobs.

The PPP set the precedent for this!

 

 

FM
caribny posted:
Zed posted:
Pointblank posted:

Komal worried about Union dues not the workers

This is a coalition narrative that you are parroting! Regardless of the motivation the coalition and you attribute to him and have been trying to peddle, the possible beneficiaries of his actions and protests are the sugar workers and their families.

You might want to see the workers union dues as an investment just like the coalition members who argued that the monetary receipt from political donors is an investment which will garner financial returns. Look how good an investment Lawrence Singh (Bunkie) made so that he is receiving astronomical amount of financial returns in the form of rent for the drug bond. How about Ansa Macal investment iof the arch over the east coast highway in return for a large drug supply contract?

Where was all of this crying from all of these PPP frauds when decades ago 80% of the bauxite workers of Linden and Kwakwani lost their jobs.

The PPP set the precedent for this!

 

 

Looks like the bauxite workers stick in your craw, they all left and went to the USA.

K
caribny posted:
Zed posted:
Pointblank posted:

Komal worried about Union dues not the workers

This is a coalition narrative that you are parroting! Regardless of the motivation the coalition and you attribute to him and have been trying to peddle, the possible beneficiaries of his actions and protests are the sugar workers and their families.

You might want to see the workers union dues as an investment just like the coalition members who argued that the monetary receipt from political donors is an investment which will garner financial returns. Look how good an investment Lawrence Singh (Bunkie) made so that he is receiving astronomical amount of financial returns in the form of rent for the drug bond. How about Ansa Macal investment iof the arch over the east coast highway in return for a large drug supply contract?

Where was all of this crying from all of these PPP frauds when decades ago 80% of the bauxite workers of Linden and Kwakwani lost their jobs.

The PPP set the precedent for this!

 

 

Corruption is done by both Indians and Blackman ... don’t portray black people and PNC as saints .

Corrupt Indians put the $ to good use .

Corrupt Blacks spend wastefully and have dozens of child mother to feed , as a result they have nothing to show .

so gawn so !!! and teach blacks how to be financially responsible and be responsible father 

FM
kp posted:
 

Looks like the bauxite workers stick in your craw, they all left and went to the USA.

Yes in your eyes they are "black man" so unimportant.  Well if they are unimportant then so are sugar workers.  They both were sadly connected to mismanaged and money losing entities. 

Tossing one out to their own devices which is how the PPP treated bauxite workers set the precedent for the PNC to do the same to sugar workers.  That you don't see this merely betrays your racist nature as you deny the humanity of Afro Guyanese.

FM
Dave posted:
 

Corruption is done by both Indians and Blackman ... don’t portray black people and PNC as saints .

 

.

80% of the bauxite workers were tossed out with no consideration for their livelihood by Jagdeo.  So how come that was OK and yet you cry when the PNC behaves likewise?

You didn't care about bauxite workers so why should sugar workers be treated better.

What that had to do with whether blacks are more or less corrupt than Indians is irrelevant.

 

FM
Dave posted:
 

Corruption is done by both Indians and Blackman ... don’t portray black people and PNC as saints .

Corrupt Indians put the $ to good use .

Corrupt Blacks spend wastefully and have dozens of child mother to feed , as a result they have nothing to show .

so gawn so !!! and teach blacks how to be financially responsible and be responsible father 

Of course the Indo KKK at work!

FM
caribny posted:
Dave posted:
 

Corruption is done by both Indians and Blackman ... don’t portray black people and PNC as saints .

Corrupt Indians put the $ to good use .

Corrupt Blacks spend wastefully and have dozens of child mother to feed , as a result they have nothing to show .

so gawn so !!! and teach blacks how to be financially responsible and be responsible father 

Of course the Indo KKK at work!

Face up to the truth. Black KKK.

K
kp posted:
 

Face up to the truth. Black KKK.

The sign of a racist is when he maligns an entire implying that they are inferior to another.  You just did so.  You cannot find any evidence where I do that to Indians.

You sir are the racist here but your racism is so entrenched that you don't even see it.

FM

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