Uitvlugt cane cutters protest over shortened work week

Apr 16, 2019 News

Yesterday, cane cutters of Uitvlugt Estate staged a picketing exercise, calling on the estate’s management to provide them with a “fair week’s work”.
Last week, the cane cutters claimed that they were only provided with approximately three days of work.
“Such reduced work in the cropping period is unusual, recognizing that maximum efforts would usually be pursued to ensure the timely harvesting of canes. The situation at Uitvlugt is even more unusual as the factory is generally operating normally and, therefore, it appears, there was no reason to limit work to the cane cutters in the first place,” the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) explained in a statement.
Uitvlugt, on the West Coast Demerara, is one of three estates that the Coalition Government has held on to as part of a wider restructuring.
A number of workers from the closed Wales estate, West Bank Demerara, were sent to work at Uitvlugt.
According to GAWU yesterday, “strangely though the cane cutters received reduced work assignments last week, the estate still managed to realize its weekly production target”.
“The workers shared that the achievement of the target is linked to, what appears, preference given to the processing of farmers’ canes. The workers lamented that the situation, which apart from denying them work, is causing the estate canes to become older, a situation that can well lend to reduce cane productivity.”
The union pointed out that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) would usually plan its harvesting programme in such a way to ensure that there is balanced harvesting of farmers and estate canes.
“The workers are most dismayed by the apparent actions of the estate which has served to curtail their earnings. The cane cutters shared that they had to contend with a longer-than-usual out-of-crop period which was extended by an additional week and, at this time, they are eager to work, recognizing they have many of life’s obligations to meet.”
According to the union, workers said that GuySuCo had pointed to their earnings being enhanced by incentives – the very denial of work to workers precludes the opportunity from earning the very incentives the corporation has touted.
GAWU disclosed that on April 12, 2019, it wrote GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Harold Davis, about the prevailing situation, and urged that the workers be offered suitable, adequate work.
“We opined that such a situation is in the interest of the workers and the Corporation. Indeed, the circumstances of last week have left a most bitter taste in the mouths of the workers who, while they have demonstrated their willingness to work, have had their best of intentions sapped for unknown reason/s. The Union, at this time, looks forward to a normal situation being restored at Uitvlugt.”

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