More than 200 cane cutters at Blairmont Estate have been on strike for eight days, taking to the streets to protest concerns over their pay, deductions and working conditions.
The workers raised their grievances during a meeting yesterday with Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, who visited the area along with MPs Natasha Lewis and Vishnu Panday.
Among the key concerns raised was the amount of cane that workers are required to cut to earn their daily pay.
The cane cutters said they are required to cut roughly 10,000 pounds for $5,000. Workers said the target is increasingly difficult to meet, particularly because of the condition of some of the fields and the distances they have to travel to cut and gather the required amount of cane.
They also complained that when they fail to meet the required target, they can receive only about $2,500 for a half day’s work.
The workers raised additional concerns about money being deducted from their earnings, as well as complaints about missing bay plates, which they said affect the recording and accounting of the cane they deliver.
The quality of drinking water available to workers was also raised as a concern, with the harvesters describing the conditions under which they work as harsh.
The workers have been protesting as they seek answers to their concerns over their earnings, deductions, production requirements and other conditions at the estate.
Following the meeting, Mohamed called on Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha to intervene and address the grievances raised by the Blairmont cane cutters.
Kiskadee Watch attempted to contact Mustapha for a response but this proved futile.
The workers remain on strike as they await action on the issues they have raised.
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