Rum-drinking sugar workers behave unruly during forum with Minister

Feb 07, 2010 News

– GuySuCo says they will be punished

By Leonard Gildarie

The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) says that it will be sanctioning a number of sugar workers who behaved unruly and drank alcohol during a meeting with management and Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud last week, at Rose Hall, Berbice.

The incident, which prompted the Corporation to write the union, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU), also said that the other planned “Sugar Workers’ Forum” for last Thursday and Friday were suspended because of other “urgent and pressing commitments”.

At Tuesday’s meeting - From left: Donald Ramotar, Robert Persaud, Dr Nanda Gopaul and Errol Hanoman respectively, and Region Six Chairman, Zulfikar Mustapha.

A letter sent to GAWU on Friday by Francis Carryl, Head of Industrial Relations (ag) of GuySuCo, explained that on Tuesday, the first of a planned number of forums between the management and workers, were kicked off at the Rose Hall Community Centre.

According to Carryl, the forum was designed to have management and employees interact with each other to “seriously and constructively discuss matters and issues of common interest to all.”

To ensure that the widest possible participation, GuySuCo said that it invited employees from different locations, providing transportation, refreshments and pay for the day.

However, while the forum was well attended, GuySuCo said that it was quite disturbed by the behaviour of some sugar workers.

“It is to be emphasised that the workers attending the forum were considered to have been at work and were therefore expected to have conducted themselves in a disciplined and orderly manner as if they were at their regular work station.”

The letter claimed that several times during that meeting, some workers took the opportunity to be grossly disrespectful to Minister Robert Persaud and members of the team.

Included in that team were Board Member, Donald Ramotar; Chairman Dr. Nanda Gopaul, Chief Executive Officer, Errol Hanoman, and Region Six Chairman, Zulfikar Mustapha.

GuySuCo workers at the workers’ forum at Rose Hall Community Centre on Tuesday.

“Indeed, it is evident that some persons attended the forum with a different agenda and motive in mind and had no intention of engaging the Minister and his team in a constructive manner,” the letter said.

On more than one occasion, workers were seen consuming what was obviously alcohol “which may have contributed to their behaviour which was nothing short of being mischievous and unruly.”

GuySuCo’s Chairman, Dr Gopaul, was forced to intervene several times or the session may have gone out of control, Carryl said in the letter.

“You are aware of the Corporation’s policy of zero tolerance on indiscipline; the unpleasantness to which were subjected will therefore not go unsanctioned. Those workers whose conduct was unbecoming will be hearing from us shortly and you will be advised accordingly.”

The Corporation called on the union to urge its members to conduct themselves with decency and respect when the forum resumes.

“Under no circumstance will the Corporation condone any form of disruptive and counter-productive behaviour. Should anyone choose to behave in an indisciplined manner, disciplinary action will be taken against him and her.”