Latest update November 26th, 2024 1:00 AM
Dismissal of nine sugar workers…AFC says politics involved, wants police investigation
The Alliance For Change (AFC) is calling on the Guyana Sugar Corporation
AFC’s Gerhard Ramsaroop and Kojo McPherson on Thursday met with Enmore sugar workers who claimed that their dismissals may have been politically motivated.
(GuySuCo) to have police investigate allegations that nine Enmore sugar workers stole from the LBI estate.
The nine workers were dismissed recently by the Corporation.
According to AFC, on Thursday, party officials, Kojo McPherson and Gerhard Ramsaroop, along with political activist, Freddie Kissoon, met with eight of the nine workers who were summarily dismissed on March 28. GuySuCo had previously issued a statement detailing an alleged attempt by the workers to steal items from the now defunct La Bonne Intention (LBI) factory.
According to the AFC yesterday, the workers are now claiming their dismissals may have political motivations.
“They related they were instructed by Mr. Vijay Sookdeo, a mill and boiler engineer, to remove, in addition to the hardwood and carrier slats, whatever else they thought could be used at Enmore. They also asserted, in contradiction to GuySuCo’s statement, that they were never issued with a specific cart note. According to the workers, Mr. Sookdeo confirmed all this to management.”
AFC said that the alleged theft from LBI occurred on February 17, and the workers were not written to until March 12, a few days after the strikes of March 8 and 9.
“One of the workers, Deochan Singh, also known as Sharma, who is a machinery operator and a factory representative, was not only instrumental in the strike of March 9 and an earlier strike on February 28, but he also exposed deficiencies and inefficiencies at the Enmore Factory and Packaging Plant. This is now the second time that GuySuCo has sought to get rid of him because of his political affiliation and activism. This is therefore, the political dimension of the issue,” AFC insisted.
The party insisted that it does not in any way, shape or form, condone any illegality and finds theft from the state to be particularly abhorrent as it is the taxpayer who loses.
“However, to hold nine persons accountable in a matter that was neither reported to nor investigated by the police cannot be just. The AFC is therefore, calling on GuySuCo to have the issue investigated by the relevant authorities and let the chips fall where they may. Seven of the nine workers have given service to GuySuCo ranging from 10 to 34 years, and being summarily dismissed will deprive them of their benefits. The AFC is further calling on the union, GAWU, to give these workers proper representation.”
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