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Blairmont estate hard hit by three-day strike – GuySuCo

Aug 29, 2012 News

The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has lost 100 tonnes of sugar valued at $13M due to the three-day strike at the Blairmont Estate, and GuySuCo yesterday said that it has been forced to cease all operations except essential services at the estate.
A GuySuCo statement accused union representatives of prolonging the strike even as company officials were addressing issues such as delays in payment for workers and other grievances.
“The effects of this strike are that 400 punts of cane are filled in punts for the past three days and remain in the dock rapidly deteriorating in quality, and as a consequence not only has sugar being lost, but harvesters have not been required to work last Saturday, today and tomorrow because of the unavailability of empty punts,” the statement said.
“In addition, there are 85 punts of cane harvested and left in the fields. At this stage the deterioration in the cane quality has resulted in sugar loss of 100 tonnes that could have yielded $13M in revenue. “
“In the view of the fact that the workers have abandoned their jobs, the Corporation will immediately cease all operations, except essential services at Blairmont. The Corporation cannot condone such reckless behaviour on the part of the workers; as such it will meet with the Union to discuss the gravity of the disruption caused by employees abandoning their jobs and the application of the appropriate sanctions. “
The statement said that factory and field workshop workers downed tools last Friday during the 14:00 hrs to 22:00 hrs shift when the factory was in full operation.
According to the Corporation, the striking workers demanded that all income generated from doing ‘piece work’ should be used in the computation of retroactive payment following the job evaluation; that workers who are dissatisfied with their current pay grades must have their grades adjusted to their demands and that all outstanding payments that have been delayed by queries should be paid without further delay.
GuySuCo said that immediately prior to the workers walking off the job last Friday, management advised the Union representatives and workers in the factory compound that all outstanding payments will be made on Friday, August 31, and that the other two issues are within the purview of discussion between the Union and the Corporation, centrally, in accordance with the grievance procedure.
“Notwithstanding these undertakings, the workers walked off the job during the shift. The incoming 10/6 pm shift joined the strike,” the statement said.
“Operations were normal on all shifts on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, August 27, the 6/2 am shift in the factory and the entire workforce in the field workshop struck on the same demands made on Friday. A meeting between senior corporate management and executives of the Union was subsequently held late yesterday (Monday) afternoon at Blairmont. At this meeting an agreement was reached for immediate cessation of the strike, and for a full resumption on the 10/6 pm shift and onwards.”
“Unfortunately, the 10/6 pm shift yesterday(Monday), 6/2 am shift and entire workforce in the field workshop today continued the strike, despite an agreement being reached yesterday.
“This strike is in blatant violation of the grievance procedure that provides, among others, for dialogues at various levels until a dispute or grievance is resolved, rather than for   workers proceeding to abandon their jobs; thereby causing 485 punts of cane to perish and denial of work to 850 harvesters for 2 days already,” the statement charged.
Strikes at a number of estates this year have left the state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation unable to deliver to markets in Caricom.
According to GuySuCo, the problem was exacerbated by strikes at the Blairmont, West Berbice packaging plant and poor weather at the Enmore Estate, East Coast Demerara.

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