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GAWU absolves its father, the PPP, from the sugar industry crash
Dear Editor,
When will the Guyana Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU) accept the fact that it is continuously pushing its membership/workers of GuySuCo towards the permanent breadline, by its irresponsible leadership?
When will this union understand that its political alliance with the Peoples Progressive Party(PPP), by which it continues to slavishly serve its political purpose is what has brought this once mighty industry to its current sorrowful state?
That I ask these questions, given the recent announcement that GuySuCo did not have monies to pay its staff, and perform other functions; how can this union support its members’ strikes at the various estates when government had announced a payment solution with the corporation?
Why continue to damage the already fractured industry with unnecessary strikes which will militate against the very workers.
GAWU and its leadership is the most dishonest; I stand to be corrected, in the history of Trade Unionism in this country. For decades, they have entertained numerous strikes from its membership for all kinds of reasons. And this was simply because they had the support of the then PPP/government.
Brutally put – they were pampered. It had been a case of serving the political programmes of the former government. In return, every strike had been entertained, even if it had to go to arbitration. And the sugar workers always got what they wanted. After all- they formed the bedrock of industrial political support for the former PPP/C government.
But incessant strikes do affect a price tag – massive loss of revenue, allied with loss of productivity. This is just a part of GAWU’S balance sheet as its major contribution to the insolvent state of GuySuCo at the moment. Is it not time that Komal Chand and his union that would have greatly assisted to gradually undermine the industrial functions of this once vibrant industry, with its support for industrial action at the drop of a drizzle, cease such irresponsible behaviour; remove itself from the political dictates of the PPP/C that it has so faithfully serve for decades, and honestly dialogue with workers as to first, who is responsible for the threat to their livelihood; and secondly, reasonable proposals for the survival of its membership’s future working life.
The entire country is often amused, but taken aback, at the pernicious lies and devious attempts, made by GAWU and its political back brace-the PPP/C – to absolve them from the tragedy of what is now GuySuCo. What a duo! Just look what they have done to the sugar workers of this country!
Earl Hamilton
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