Albion sugar workers’ strike over snake-infested area enters 10th day

Oct 19, 2018 News

Over 300 hundred sugarcane workers from the 15B Gang of the Albion Estate are continuing a strike with Guysuco already losing millions of dollars as a dispute with management rages on. At issue is cutting of canes in a snake invested area.
The workers are saying that they are not refusing to cut the cane, but need the Bell Loader to “cut and drop” instead of “cut and load” since the area is invested with deadly Crapaud Labaria snakes. The workers who were formerly from the Rose Hall Estate, East Canje location, on Wednesday along with representatives of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) stages a picketing exercise in front of the Albion Estate on the Corentyne to press their case. Speaking to the media during the picketing exercise, GAWU Field Secretary Harvey Tambron said that management burnt cane on October 9, despite request from representative of the gang that GuySuCo should have the Bell Loaders to load the cane.
However, despite the request management went ahead and burnt the cane. The workers refuse to cut the cane, since their requests were not met. Management burnt cane again on Wednesday and the workers continued to refuse to venture into the field.
What is ironic is that on the first day the workers did not even enter the field when they encountered and killed two venomous snakes in the Crossing Punts.
Tambron said that when the Enterprise E Field 1-5 were burnt the workers had the usage of Bell Loaders. They were told by management that the Bell Loaders were borrowed from the SPU and were since returned.
He said what is foolish about it is that the Bell Loaders are now at Skeldon sitting idle, because no harvesting is being done at Skeldon.
He is questioning the big bad bully style of the Estate Management and asked “Why not borrow the Bell Loader so that the workers can earn some money. The workers feel that they are being made into scapegoats. He is calling for an investigation.
According Harvesting representative, Indergeet Bhopaul, the 15 B Gang is the strongest gang, supplying the estate with over 100 punts cane every day. He said at present there are over 8.8 hectares of canes rotting, a total of over 80 punts cane.
He said that due to the bad decision and the Corporation is losing millions. They will now have to pay workers to cut and throw away the spoil cane.

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