The principles of the former slaves can help sugar workers…

Feb 14, 2018 News

-It’s imperative that sugar workers come together

In the year 1834, the Slavery Abolition Act was agreed upon by the British royals. Slaves who worked for years under the harsh hands of their slave masters were freed to live under less cruel conditions, though it would take about four years later for a “complete” physical emancipation. The then freed slaves learnt the value of working together to ensure their survival.
Soon after the village system was birthed, which demanded a continued collective working among the emancipated to build for themselves a society that would guarantee their continual existence, in the absence of this unified approach cause and social breakdown was inevitable.
Through the years, the village systems that were formed by the freed slaves have gone through many changes culturally and socially, but the fundamental principles that existed then that ensured their success through the early post slavery times can serve as teaching tools for all today, especially the newly laid off workers of GuySuco.
Pooling resources for a greater good
One such principle is merging or pooling. No one slave could have bought a village; the slaves pooled their moneys, strength, and mental faculty to ensure a better life. Similarly the laid off sugar workers could pool their resources and ideas together to bring a remedy to the unemployment they now face.
Whether it is money, land or human capital all resources can be combined. Field staff, with office staff merging their experiences can birth a rounded, well organized, profitable business venture.
Doing agricultural businesses
The freed slaves farmed; agriculture was the way of life for the post-colonial society. Though the freed slaves sought to move away from the plantation life, agriculture was of paramount importance to the economic development of the day.
Guyana today is rich with avenues for agricultural endeavours, the planting of vegetables, the coconut industry and cattle rearing are among the many agricultural avenues these citizens can ventures into.
The social support for each other was among the common practices that helped newly freed slaves to endure the “after slavery life”. In like manner, the estate workers could look out for each other and offer social support for each other.
No man is an island, a word of encouragement, a good thought an idea passed on can be all it takes to help someone through.
There is a saying that only those who feel it knows, hence it can only be beneficial for those who feel the pains of unemployment to come together and help each other through in whatever positive way possible. (Samuel Gillis)

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