East Bank Demerara :Sugar workers of the Diamond estate, East Bank Demerara whose services were severed feels justice has finally been served after President Bharrat Jagdeo met them today and announced government’s rescue plan of transferring $300M to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to cover severance pay.
The announcement came after the President met the workers at the Diamond Secondary School for an important meeting that also included Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud, President of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) Komal Chand and officials from the sugar company
“The reason I intervened is because I didn’t want this to last forever… and secondly because I feel people should not be kept against their will,” President Jagdeo said.
The workers for months had sought intervention at the level of the government and the Union as they opposed a decision that resulted in severance pay being denied to them when their services were terminated at the end of the sugar estate’s last crop.
GAWU had challenged the decision after filing a court case against GuySuCo on behalf of the field workers but, the snail’s pace at which the process progressed was a source of concern and doubt.
During today’s meeting President Jagdeo told the workers that he wanted to determine whether severance pay was the preferred option of the overwhelming majority of workers on the estate but more importantly to ensure there is worker satisfaction.
“I am more concerned about keeping people to work. When they are dissatisfied you don’t really get the best of people and we want our people in this country to be able to work freely, to accumulate wealth freely, to have choices where they work,” President Jagdeo said. Within one week Government will transfer the $300M to GuySuCo but, President Jagdeo reminded the workers of the much needed work still remaining and encouraged the labourers to return to the estate.
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