Plans in store to raise sugar workers’ pay, expand skills of harvesters –President

President Irfaan Ali on Monday evening in a Facebook livestream disclosed that efforts are in the works to increase the salaries of sugar workers and to improve the skillset of the cane harvesters so as to enhance their income within the industry as government continues along the path to optimize GuySuCo’s productivity.

Contending that the APNU+AFC continues to show no remorse for closing sugar estates under their tenure, leaving thousands of workers jobless and unable to provide basic necessities for their families, Ali said, “the narrative that seeks to reset historical truths would not be allowed to flourish. We will correct those narratives.”

In announcing that his government is working on a system to improve workers’ wages and skillsets to enhance their livelihood, the President stated, “We are aware that things are changing that is why we are working on a system and very soon we will be collaborating with the union and workers so that we can find a mechanism through which we can improve and increase the wages of these workers, not only did more than 25,000 people lose their livelihood during that period but since we came back 1,000 of jobs directly and indirectly have been created.”

According to the President, to further add to this they are also working on a “plan to up the skill level of our cane harvesters so that they can be part of the mechanization project, operating the machines, but more importantly that we can now have a new form of operation.”

He said that one of the things under examination is how best productivity can be optimized “by moving to a more contract form within the industry itself.”

Ali stated that his government understands clearly that not only do they have to rebuild the sugar industry and make the right investments but that they also have to find the “formula” that will improve the skill level of the workers which will enhance their income and livelihood. “And that conversation is ongoing, we are not a government that would hide away from issues, we are not saying that sugar is not a challenge, this is a major challenge for us but we are committed to ensuring that we succeed.”

As he has done on many occasions, he said that when his government returned to office there were “miles of punts” rotten, with the closed estates being reduced to “scrap metal yards” and the cane fields heavily forested. “The entire drainage and irrigation system completely dismantled, friends we had to rebuild from scratch, we had to rebuild from zero, after they (APNU+AFC) took $30b.”

Following the closure of the estates under APNU+AFC, Stabroek News did extensive reporting on the plight of the affected workers. In the East Canje Berbice and Skeldon areas, workers were forced to take their children out of school as at that stage they were barely able to provide daily meals.

In some instances, families in Canje had turned to utilizing the nearby trench water for their daily chores as they could no longer afford their GWI lines. Further, one worker died by suicide as he could no longer meet mortgage payments.

Trained supervisors at the estates took up jobs at chicken outlets cleaning chicken pens to be able to provide meals for their families.

Ali on Monday said that the interest of the APNU+AFC during that period was to create state-of-the-art bars and entertainment complexes and that “that philosophy has not changed.”

According to Ali, this is not a time in Guyana’s history for “political opportunism” but rather a time for hard work. “This is a time for debates on ideas, critical analysis and we are open to criticisms, once its constructive.”