Albion ZorNers march in solidarit\ Zith severed ZorNers
G8<ANA - The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ 8nion GAW8 yesterday organised a march with sugar workers, executives and regional representatives of the 8nion. The march commenced at .ilcoy 9illage and concluded at the Albion (state Road. GAW8 President .omal Chand, General Secretary Seepaul Narine, other union representatives and several sugar workers addressed those gathered.
The workers of Albion marched in solidarity with their comrades from Skeldon, Rose Hall, (ast 'emerara and Wales (states. They called on the government to pay the displaced workers their severance, to re-open the closed estates, and also reMected and opposed any and all plans to close or sell the Albion (state.
Narine reminded the workers that the Special Purpose 8nit that falls under NICI/ and which has now taken control of the remaining estates, and those not in operation, was set up “as a division by the government to sellout those estates and the assets of those estates”. He Tuestioned, “if you are not thinking about selling, you are not thinking about getting rid of this estate, then why do you have to vest Albion (state for instance in NICI/ under SP8"”.
Narine opined that when the other estates are sold, they are likely to look at the remaining estates. According to him, the solidarity being shown is an avenue to highlight that the estates should be reopened as a first priority and also to have the severed workers who received half their severance to be paid in full.
Stephen Indardat, GAW8’s %ranch Chairman at Albion, called on the workers to report to the 8nion when they are not satisfied with something at their respective work area, “the 8nion is here, the leaders are here to stand with you at any moment and under any circumstances. Whenever you see things going wrong you have all right to complain, bring your message to the field secretary or any other member and we can have it channeled and solved out”. He pleaded with the workers to not allow the Albion (state to run to the ground, taking into consideration the plight of the other sugar workers who were retrenched.
“If you look at your sister estates and see what is transpiring, families are on the road, market area and transportation wise is doomed, and you check an area like this Albion where people only depend on the (state« and if this should close, picture what will transpire around the community”, Indardat posited.
(Kaieteur News)