Latest update February 24th, 2025 9:02 AM
Albion/Port Mourant Field Workers urged to return to the fields – GuySuCo
Kaieteur News – The Management of the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc. (GuySuCo) is appealing to field workers at its Albion/Port Mourant Estate to return to work as Management is committed to advancing their plight to the Corporation’s main stakeholder via its Board of Directors.
According to a release, field workers at GuySuCo’s largest sugar cultivation and producing Estate – Albion/Port Mourant is calling for financial compensation for the harvested cane weight loss due to the quality of sugar cane available for harvesting this season without having to complete additional work to meet at least the minimum wage as outlined by the Ministry of Labour.
In his appeal to workers, Sasenarine Singh, GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer urged workers “to let us work together to find an amicable solution to the issues. We need every hand on board to rebuild the Estate. We do understand the issue and are committed to finding an amicable solution. We cannot down tools at this critical junction of our Industry’s recovery.”
On September 14, 2021, in acknowledging the workers’ concerns, the Corporation’s Central Executives along with the Estate’s Management met with the GAWU Field Secretary and the cane harvesting Shop Stewards. At that meeting, workers’ representatives voiced their concerns after which Management expressed its inability to meet the workers’ demands due to the existing financial status of the Corporation but committed to channelling the workers’ concerns to its stakeholders.
Despite Management’s pleas for workers to return to work, Cane harvesters attached to 17B gang have not returned to the field after downing tools on Wednesday September 15, 2021. Currently four out of five cane-harvesting gangs are on strike totalling 1,146 employees. The Estate Management as recent as Friday, September 17, 2021 continues to engage the Union and Shop with the view of arriving at an amicable solution within its authority so that all the cane harvesters can return to work.
The Albion/Port Mourant Estate, as of weekending September 18, 2021, completed four out of its scheduled 12 weeks of sugar production. Since the commencement of harvesting operation on August 18, 2021, the Estate is experiencing several major challenges as a result of the 65 days of flooding of its entire cultivation. One of the main challenges is development of adventitious roots, side shoots and tillering, which all contribute to deterioration of the quality of sugar cane. In addition, the quality of sugar canes not harvested as a result of high intensity rainfall during the first harvest season of 2021, has been affected due to the lengthy period under which these canes were under water. This resulted in further reduction of its sucrose content and requires more cane to produce sugar.
Since the commencement of harvesting and sugar production for second season 2021, the Albion/Port Mourant Estate’s weekly sugar production target has been reduced from 2100 tonnes sugar to 1815 tonnes to encourage employees’ achievement of their projected targets and weekly production incentive.
Further, to compensate the employees for their weight loss due to the quality of sugar cane available for harvesting, Management has implemented a system to allow those employees who are not achieving the minimum punt weight, to make up for their loss earnings by offering alternative work on the Estate.
Under normal circumstances, Albion/Port Mourant Estate’s second crop is more than 20 weeks. However, as a result of the prolong flood, the Estate lost 31 percent of its crop canes curtailing its second crop 2021 to 12 weeks.
Further, the Chief Executive along with other Managers will be meeting the Union Central Executives and the cane harvesting Shop Steward today to further discuss this matter to reach a mutually agreeable solution.
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