Latest update February 8th, 2025 6:23 PM
Latest News
- Soaring gold price entices Canadian company to renew permits in Guyana
- Terrence Campbell accuses Govt. of weaponizing Police Force after calls for accountability with oil revenues
- China slams US as Panama quits Belt and Road Initiative
- Guyana extradites fugitive to Canada
- AFC Leader Nigel Hughes welcomes any investigation into lands he acquired
LBI planting gang on strike
Seepaul Narine
All does not seem to be going well at the La Bonne Intention Estate (LBI). In less than two weeks, sugar workers are once again engaged in strike action.
This time, the workers in the planting gang are on strike seeking compensation for the extra work that they have to do. General Secretary of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Seepaul Narine, explained to Kaieteur News yesterday that the planting gang is responsible for planting a specific amount of cane seeds in a given area at a fixed rate.
However, recently the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc.. (GuySuCo) introduced semi mechanical planting, where the planting of the seeds is done mechanically on a large scale basis.
In this regard, workers have to produce double the amount of seeds. Previously it was only 25 sets of seeds, but now it has reached a stage where approximately 45 to 50 sets are needed.
It is in this context workers are striking since they are requesting that GuySuCo pay them more money for the extra work that they have to do.
However, according to Narine, the management of the LBI estate has refused to do so. It is not clear how long the strike will last for, but Narine noted that GuySuCo’s Industrial Relations Officer, Francis Carryl, has agreed to discuss the issue on Monday during the wages and salaries negotiation.
On October 14, last, LBI workers had commenced a four-day strike to press their demand for an acceptable target for sugar production for their estate to secure the weekly production incentive (WPI).
At the same time there was a total shutdown of the entire sugar industry, after sugar workers from the estates in the country resorted to strike action in retaliation for GuySuCo’s withdrawal from the wages and salaries negotiation they were having with GAWU at that time. However, that discussion has resumed.
This is another strike that has hit GuySuCo, which at present is facing many challenges at a time when the sugar company has revealed that losses for this year are projected at $2.5 billion with almost $5 billion owed to banks.
Additionally, the company is facing a grim financial situation with almost $1.8 billion owed to creditors at the end of September.
Last year, GuySuCo, one of Guyana’s biggest foreign exchange earners, declared losses of $4 billion and indebtedness to the banks of $3 billion.
Chief Executive Officer of GuySuCo, Errol Hanoman, had told the media at a recent press conference that given the grave financial situation worldwide, many companies would have opted to close estates and send workers home.
The state-owned company expects to spend over $45B in the next four years to improve the industry. (Fareeza Haniff).
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Due diligence on investments must become a priority
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- In 1985, the Forbes Burnham government looking for economic salvation, entered into a memorandum... more
OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus
Antiguan Barbudan Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- The upcoming election... more
Weekend Cartoon
