Cane cutters attached to the Albion and Rose Hall estates in Berbice went on strike yesterday over the non-payment of retroactive salaries that they say were promised since last year.
During a visit to the estates by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, workers voiced their frustration, charging that the responses they received from authorities were contrary to the concerns and requests they had raised regarding the outstanding payments.
During the protest at the Albion Estate, cane cutters also raised concerns about deductions being made from their wages and questioned whether their union was aware of the issue. Among the grievances highlighted was the payment of National Insurance Scheme (NIS) benefits.
Workers told Mohamed that they have been experiencing significant delays in receiving payments from the NIS. Cane cutter Jermaine Crandon recounted that after suffering an accident on May 7, 2024, he has yet to receive any benefits.
“The 7th of May, 2024, I had an accident and I still haven’t received any money after more than two years,” Crandon said.
He lamented that throughout the period he was repeatedly told to return at a later date for payment, but the matter remains unresolved.
In response to the workers’ concerns, Mohamed assured the cane cutters that he would continue advocating on their behalf. He told the workers that if a positive resolution is not reached, he would return to the estate to further press their concerns and support their calls for the issues to be addressed.
Under a three-year agreement signed between GuySuCo and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), sugar workers were promised wage increases of 10 per cent in 2024, eight per cent in 2025, and nine per cent in 2026, with the 2024 increase to be paid retroactively.
However, the payment of retroactive salaries faced significant delays, with GuySuCo previously acknowledging that it did not have the funds available to meet some of its obligations. The delays sparked industrial action at several estates, including Uitvlugt and Albion, as workers protested outstanding payments related to debunching and job category adjustments.
It was ironic that the workers protested on the very day the country observed Enmore Martyrs in honour of five sugar workers, Lallabajee, Harry, Pooran, Surajbally, and Rambarran, who were killed on June 16th 1948 by British colonial police during a strike for better wages, living conditions, and workers’ rights.
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