GuySuCo has no ‘proper rationale’ to close Uitvlugt Estate – Union

In light of statements of the possible closure of the Uitvlugt Estate over the fact that cane cutters from Wales are refusing to work at the West Coast Demerara facility, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) believes that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has no “proper rationale” to close yet another estate.

According to the Union, the Sugar Corporation had justified its position by contending that plans for development of the Uitvlugt Estate are being stymied because the cane cutters and cane transport operators from Wales – which GAWU reminded were made redundant from the closure of the estate – are insisting on their legitimate right to receive their due severance pay.

The Union said it is a fact well-known by GuySuCo as the Management of Wales Estate has held many sessions with the concerned workers to encourage them to take up work at Uitvlugt Estate. This was done even as the workers have steadfastly maintained that they are entitled to their severance pay in keeping with the law.

“It must be recalled that GuySuCo officials at one time advised the 350-odd workers of Wales that they would receive their severance, if they so desired. The Corporation’s officials even went as far as making photocopies of the workers National Identification Cards to ensure that their correct names would be written on their severance payment cheques,” the Union reminded.

Despite the Corporation’s failed efforts to convince the Wales workers to take up work at Uitvlugt, GAWU said it has nevertheless been repeatedly scapegoated by GuySuCo for the Corporation’s unsuccessful and seemingly unconvincing attempts to have the Wales workers working at Uitvlugt.

“Should the 350-odd Wales workers take up work at Uitvlugt, in spite of the daunting challenges involved in commuting between the two estates, among other things, the cane cutting workforce of Uitvlugt would become overstaffed. On that score, workers simply wouldn’t have enough productive work to do apart from the negative effects on their earnings and the huge cost to the Corporation to transport the Wales workers daily,” stated the Union.

GAWU went on to question what excuse the Sugar Corporation would have given for Uitvlugt had Wales remained operable, in keeping with the recommendation of the Sugar Commission of Inquiry. To this end, it underscored the need to be cognizant of its legal requirement in defending and representing its members to obtain their severance pay – a legal right.

“We will not be caught by the reason being advanced for the veiled threats surrounding Uitvlugt. As far as we can see there are no proper rationales for the closure of Uitvlugt or for any other estates,” the Union asserted.

GAWU further outlined that at this and at all times, it is and has been supportive of the Corporation’s plans to increase and maximise production at Uitvlugt towards making the Estate sustainable and viable.

“We have not varied from that position. We recognise that GuySuCo, in moving in this direction, has and is encouraging cane farmers to lease its previously cultivated and now retired estate lands to cultivate canes.

They included those fields which were previously cultivated for organic sugar production as well as those fields which were abandoned when the estate’s cultivation was downsized under the management of Booker-Tate some years ago. The farmers who have taken up lands at Uitvlugt have prepared their field for mechanised operations; as a consequence the demand for labour will be very minimal at best,” the Union said.

Moreover as it relates to the Uitvlugt Estate lands, GAWU said cane cutters are able to reap all the estate’s canes every crop. The Union said that it was interesting to note that not only did the Uitvlugt cane cutters completely harvest the estate’s first crop this year but they also went to Enmore Estate to assist harvesting that estate’s canes.

In fact, the Union pointed out that they had even assisted at Wales, when that estate was operable. Additionally, GAWU noted that Uitvlugt is probably the only estate which has been consistently managed to achieve such feats, adding that canes not being harvested at the closure of each crop are unheard of at Uitvlugt.