Issue#3 Volume#37
Combat Voice of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU)
EDITORIAL:
New taxes, the economy and the cost of living The Minister of Finance, Minister Winston Jordan, a few weeks ago informed the nation that Government revenues were on the rise. The Minister is reported to have said that the Treasury raked in $53.4B at the end of April, 2016, which is $3B more than in the same period last year. The improved performance, the Minister said, is attributed to the “tightening up at ports, new focus on the regions, and a clampdown on illegal activities.” Despite the rising revenues, Minister Jordan informed that receipts from Value Added Tax (VAT) had fallen by some 6.3 per cent, but this was offset by increased collection of rents and royalties from the gold mining sector. The decline in VAT remittances is obviously an indication that consumption and investment are on the decline - not a good sign for any economy. Many persons have expressed the view that the economy is slowing, and the data released by the Minister is seemingly confirming the view. Confronting an economic slowdown, the Government, it seems, has abandoned conventional economic wisdom in this scenario, and is seeking to overcome revenue shortfalls by increasing extant taxes and removing tax concessions. This thrust was borne out in the 2016 National Budget, which contained increases for about 140 taxes; some hiked as much as 1,200 per cent. Alongside those increases, tax exemptions previously offered to the productive sectors – agriculture, mining and forestry – were abandoned, and previously imported duty-free inputs for the local manufacturing sector are being discontinued. A similar position has been adopted at the Local Governmental level, wherein the Georgetown City Council is seeking to raise new revenues through the introduction of parking meters, the increasing of rates and taxes, and implementing a container tax. Continued on page twelve
“The Enmore Martyrs showed...” - on page two (2)
GAWU at 4th TUI Conference - on page three (3) COMBAT
May 17 - July 16, 2016
May 17 to July 16, 2016
United Struggles for Workers’ Rights, Democracy and a Secure Future GAWU’s 21st Delegates’ Congress slated for August 20, 22 and 23, 2016
Delegates attending the Union’s 20th Congress in 2012
The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) will convene its 21st Delegates’ Congress under the theme “United Struggles for Workers’ Rights, Democracy and a Secure Future”. The Congress will be held at Bath, West Coast Berbice, beginning on August 20, 2016 and concluding on August 23, 2016.
Parking meters should be scrapped - on page four (4)
We are in solidarity with Wales - on page five (5)
The Congress, the Union’s highest decision-making forum, will be attended by hundreds of delegates coming from GAWU’s wide membership, representing the various entities where the Union enjoys bargaining rights. Continued on page four
GuySuCo makes 42 redundant at LBI - on page nine (9)
GAWU’s tribute to Cde Rooplall Persaud - on page twelve (12)
and much more... PAGE ONE
GAWU General Secretary Cde Seepaul Narine says at the Enmore Martyrs Rally:
The Enmore Martyrs showed that we can overcome adversities and win out if our demands are just and our struggles are principled and reasonable more courageous workers’ struggles with far-reaching consequences in our history. It was a struggle that was not just limited to improving workers’ working and living conditions, but it impacted the politics of our country also. Dr Cheddi Jagan, in writing about the incident, said: “The Enmore tragedy affected me greatly. I was personally acquainted with all the young men killed and injured.” He went on to Some of the attendees at the Enmore Martyrs Rally on June 16, 2016 say: “There and then I made a silent pledge On this 68th Anniversary of the martyrdom of five I would dedicate my entire life to the cause of the struggle sugar workers who were brutally gunned down here at Enmore, ECD, the Guyana Agricultural and General of the Guyanese people against bondage and exploitation.” In less than two (2) years after that pledge, the PolitiWorkers Union (GAWU) once again joins the nation in paying homage to Rambarran, Pooran, Lallabagee Kis- cal Affairs Committee which was headed by Dr Jagan soon, Surujballi and Harri. They have come to symbol- was transformed, in January 1950, into the People’s Proize the struggles of the Guyanese working people to bet- gressive Party. Written on the main banner of the PPP, ter their lives and, in doing so, strike telling blows for among other things, was “Independence”, and under the leadership and guidance of that political entity, a wave freedom from colonial oppression. The workers’ just demands were met by a hail of bul- of energized and consistent actions were organized in lets. The resort to violent repression by the colonial po- pursuit of that goal. Eighteen (18) years after Enmore, lice was, no doubt, aimed at suppressing the militancy the hoisting of the Golden Arrowhead on May 26, 1966 and determination shown by workers at Enmore and the symbolized that we finally got rid of our colonial bondother estates on the East Coast. The brutality that was age; the 50th Anniversary of which we celebrated some then unleashed by the colonial police was captured in three (3) weeks ago. While Enmore’s events gave an impetus to the political several reports of the day. The Caribbean Congress of Labour, in its June, 1948 struggles for freedom, at the same time, we should not monthly bulletin, said: “The tragic story of British Gui- downplay the importance of the workers’ struggles for ana’s Sugar Workers was written in true colour on June betterment, a struggle which goes on even in our day. At that time, close to seven (7) decades ago, the liv16th, the colour of cheap working-class blood spilt by the ing conditions workers and their families of Enmore police.” Historian Basdeo Mangru in his book ‘A History of East 1948 had to endure were atrocious. For instance, in Indian Resistance on the Guyana Sugar Estates – 1869- most cases, drinking water was secured from the near1948’, quoted: “We saw Lala Bagi dead on the mortuary by trenches in which they would bathe and wash their table, shot through the back. We saw 19-year-old Pooran clothing. Their living quarters were largely logies, which lying cold dead with a gaping three-inch wound above the Venn Commission Report noted, “quite a number of the pelvis, with his guts hanging out and another bullet the corrugated iron roofs were leaking, and the fabric of through his leg. Rambarran was lying dead with clenched the buildings were in a general state of decay. In numerfists, two bullet wounds causing his death, Dhookie [Su- ous instances, temporary sheets or awnings had been rujballi] died in the hospital the same day, and Harry Jug fixed over the beds to keep off the rain. They had mud died the next day from a bullet into his spine. They were floors, and consequently, with the rain dropping from the roofs, these were made slippery and dangerous; in also shot in the back”. Apart from those who died, many workers were injured many cases we found bags laid over the floors to prevent by the police action. The shooting of the workers trig- slipping. They were built without any plan on low-lying gered, not fear by the people, but their outrage and an- ground. There are few, if any, proper footpaths; and in ger, which was manifested in the longest funeral proces- rainy weather communication is difficult. The common sion ever seen in British Guiana and which came from latrines, often built over a drainage trench, are frequentEnmore to Le Repentir, Georgetown, where the slain ly in a bad state of repair, with little privacy.” While working conditions were also horrendous and workers were buried. Enmore 1948 is rightfully remembered as one of the deteriorating, the sugar planters were benefitting from COMBAT
May 17 - July 16, 2016
significant increases in sugar prices. In historian Basdeo Mangru’s book, we learnt that “sugar planters were reaping considerable profits as prices jumped from £17.8 shillings per ton in 1946 to £25.2 shillings per ton in 1948, or an increase of over 44 per cent per ton”. And what was offered to the cane cutters? They got a four-(4)-cent increase per tonne working 12 hours a day, and now they were faced with a new work requirement: instead of cutting and dropping canes which was the then practice, they were required to cut and load the canes into punts. For the other categories of workers, the basic rates that they were receiving since 1938 continued. The abominable living and working conditions, the extremely poor pay, the long hours of work - longer for women and children - the virtual non-representation and protection from the then recognised Unions, the use of the state machinery always against the workers - as was the case in slavery - explain the unavoidable rebellious stance of the workers and their justifiable actions at Enmore, 1948. But, comrades, we do not see Enmore 1948 as an isolated event of heroic struggles by the plantation workers, but, indeed, as continuing a tradition of a long list of struggles and sacrifices stretching back to the revolts of slaves, and of which our history abounds. We recognize that 1948 invigorated and ushered in determined actions for improvement in the working and living conditions, which were generally also linked to the demand for an end to the country’s colonial and subjugated status. The violent suppression of the slave revolts we know of continued in the era of indentureship. Colonial violence was especially frequent in the sugar industry. It is timely that we recall some of those struggles and violent repressive actions that took place in the sugar industry. We wish to recall that, in 1872, five workers were killed at Devonshire Castle; in 1879, five at Non-Pareil; in 1903, eight at Friends; in 1912, one at Friends and one at Lusignan; in 1913, fifteen at Rose Hall, Canje. After indentureship, thirteen were killed at Ruimveldt in 1924 and four at Leonora in 1939. As we pay homage to the Enmore Martyrs today, let us also honour the memory of all those who were cut down in the struggle against colonial oppression. Comrades, we have come a long way since 1948. There are several developments that reflect the progress we have made since; but our achievements demand of us our vigilance, to ensure that such gains are not lost or undermined, but instead preserved and built upon. The threats of retrogression are ever present. Look at the world around us. A callous and heartless assault has come down on the working people in Europe and other countries as well. The pressures on the working people come from their ruling economic and political elite as they seek to strengthen, perpetuate and protect their interests at the expense of the workers, pensioners, farmers, youth and students. In some countries the spectre of a new colonialism is raising its head; we see democratic norms being disrespected; we see the installation of subservient leaders and the rise of extremists to power. Continued on page nine PAGE TWO
GAWU International Affairs Secretary Cde Aslim Singh tells Fourth TUI International Conference:
“... the capitalist system, more than any time before, has lost is viability” in the sugar industry. The Government has decided that the Wales Sugar Estate one of the seven (7) grinding estates, employing about 10 per cent of the industry’s workforce - would be closed this year end. The closure will certainly negatively impact our membership in terms of employment and they and their family’s wellbeing. It will also affect the residents of many communities, and close to 800 cane farmers would suffer Delegates attending the Fourth International Conference of the TUI held from June 13 to 17, 2016 heavy financial losses and possibly many International Affairs Secretary of the Guyana Agriculmay be ruined. At this time, the workers, the farmers tural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Cde Aslim and residents are mounting a struggle to have the unSingh, attended the Fourth International Conference of popular decision reversed. In this struggle, our Union is Trade Union International of Workers in Agriculture, taking a leading role. Food, Commerce, Textiles and Allied Industries (TUI) We are also engaged in an ongoing struggle for wages in Paris, France from June 13 - 17, 2016. The Conference ‘increases which, for the first time in over three (3) debrought together 123 delegates from 91 countries, and cades, were denied to sugar workers and for a fair proreviewed the work of the TUI since its Third Conference duction incentive award, rather than the paltry unjust in June, 2011 and the challenges confronting the workaward imposed by the Corporation and the political auing peoples in the world. Below is Cde Aslim’s address to thority. At this time too, our Union is facing a retreat the Conference:by the Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) on the practice of “On behalf of the Guyana Agricultural and General Collective Bargaining, the violation of the Recognition Workers Union (GAWU), I bring you warmest greetings and the Avoidance and Settlement of Disputes Agreeof solidarity. Allow me to take this opportunity to salute ment subsisting between the Union and the Corporathe Trade Union International of Workers in Agricultion, and the Trade Union Recognition Act. ture, Food, Commerce, Textiles and Allied Industries Comrades, the current workers’ struggles in France and (TUI) on the occasion of this, its Fourth International elsewhere clearly demonstrate that the capitalist system, Conference. Our Union is honoured for the opportunity more than any time before, has lost its viability. The fiyou have offered us to participate and address this imnancial/economic crisis of the developed world is now portant forum of the TUI. We also wish to express our eight (8) years old, and the signs of a turnaround are deep satisfaction with the hospitable arrangements set clearly fragile, if not illusory. in place for the participants, and the conducive arrangeWorkers are the primary victims of the crisis, as they ments which will certainly contribute to a successful are confronted by rising unemployment, cuts in their Conference. This Conference, we are sure, through its salaries and pensions, abolition of their rights, and an deliberations and conclusions, will give renewed guidincrease in poverty. Meanwhile, big capital sees its profance and support to all its affiliates in these times when its grow, thanks to massive State intervention. They are formidable challenges lie ahead. making super-profits, distributing them generously in At this time, the GAWU wishes to express it full solithe form of dividends and bonuses. In the meantime, darity with the people of France and their fight against the governments of the capitalist world are shifting the the anti-people labour reforms. These unpopular meaburden of the crisis on to the workers and peoples of the sures only seek to reassure corporate profitability on the world. Programmes of social cutbacks, from all indicabacks of the workers and others. Against these develtions, will remain the order of the day for years to come. opments, and despite the difficulties and obstacles, the Such cuts have already shown their tragic consequences GAWU joins to demand withdrawal of the measures for the working class and the poor. against workers. We also condemn terrorism, threats, It is the discredited capitalist system which is also at the and attacks against the workers who are struggling, and root of the current food crisis that threatens a significant express our solidarity with all workers who are in the part of the world. While many factors - such as populastreets. tion growth, faster urbanisation, loss of farmland, cliOur Union, too, in the last few months, has been enmate change and a surge in biofuel production - are at gaged in fierce struggles to protect workers primarily COMBAT
May 17 - July 16, 2016
work, one must see the role of major corporations as mainly responsible for rising prices and the ever-present threat to food security. The observation has been made that it is not the case that there is a shortage of food worldwide. Experts tell us that current levels of agricultural production are enough to provide each and every human with a sufficient and healthy diet. It is rather the global trade in farm products and the manipulation of this trade by powerful capitalist speculators that have created the crisis. Once again, the problems here are that of capitalism and its financial parasitism, which continue to wreak havoc despite all talk about “reforming the system”. The rise and expansion of transnational agribusinesses have seen their own economic interests being placed above the good of the public and the community. Today, the food production system is increasingly devoted to the maximization of profits and exploitation of labour, with less attention being given to the environment and small and medium scale farmers. The current food crisis situation, which has resulted in a sharp increase in basic food prices highlights the extreme vulnerability of the current agriculture and food model. The global food crisis cannot be seen in isolation from the multinationals that monopolize each one of the links in the chain of production, processing and distribution of food. This global agro-industrial complex has been growing, and today we are hearing of “land grabs” in many developing countries, which no doubt will destroy traditional family agriculture, be harmful to the environment, and contribute to a rise of the poverty-stricken of the world. The system of capitalism can no longer claim to have the answers to the problems afflicting the better part of humanity, beginning especially in the beginning of this century. In addition to the crisis of poverty and that in the economy, there are also the problems related to the degradation of the environment and of climate change. There are also the major problems of wars and the proliferation of weaponry used to cause violence and major destruction, and mass crimes in the face of growing starvation and deprivation of the basic amenities of life. The challenge presently before us is to lift the struggle to alleviate the hardships faced by the working people, farmers, youth and students. Hand-in-hand, we must recognize that the capitalist system has utterly failed, and we are compelled to, in a collective spirit, work out its replacement by another socio-economic system, wherein peoples’ interest, and not profits, is one of its main pillars. Comrades, let us work towards fostering workers’ unity and united action in confronting the harsh and inhuman conditionalities engendered by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, other financial institutions and the World Trade Organization. The neo-liberal policies represented and touted by these organizations continue to force the working people in the world to greater dispossession and poverty. The rising protests and struggles must lend to finding alternatives; and to this end, our trade unions, as leaders of the struggles of the working peoples, must contribute to the alternatives.” PAGE THREE
United Struggles for Workers’...
Delegates and invitees at the Opening Session of the 20th Congress
Continued from page one Of those entities, the field and factory workers of the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) constitute the largest unit. The three-(3)-day Congress will consider a packed agenda. Among the agenda items is one whereby some workers would be recognized for their dedicated service to the Union and for promoting the workers’ interests.
Another highlight of the Congress is the presentation of the General Council’s Report followed by its discussion. As a rule, the report will cover a wide range of issues and will include a broad assessment of certain international events; the developments domestically since the last Congress; the present-day work of our Union and the challenges before it, as well as the general state of Trade Unionism locally and beyond. As should be expected, the sugar industry, the uncertainties that surround it
and the threats to its employees will engage Congress in a focused way. Apart from delegates and observers, GAWU has invited a limited number of fraternal organisations to its Congress. From our many friendly trade union organisations locally and abroad, we will be receiving messages of greetings and solidarity. Convened at this juncture of our country’s development and at a time when a large swathe of the Guyanese productive working-class feels justly demoralized, the forthcoming Congress will surely be one of the most important in our Union’s history. From delegates’ deliberations, especially, we are looking forward to broad proposals which will serve to guide the Union’s work in the immediate future. The new General Council of the Union, which will be elected by the Congress delegates, will have as it mandate the tasks of fulfilling Congress’s decisions and pursuing those resolutions which will be debated and approved by the Congress. As we prepare for our Congress, we feel constrained to observe that the time that has elapsed since our last Congress was eventful, filled with various activities and struggles. Despite difficulties and several negative scenarios, our Union has vigorously represented its members and protected its organization from divisive attempts which have surfaced particularly over the past months. We approach Congress with optimism that our unity and militancy, combined with widespread goodwill and solidarity, will assure a productive Congress and successes in the challenging tasks ahead.
FITUG says parking meters should be scrapped aspora. Given the pronouncements that have been expressed, it is clear to FITUG that this project was not fully and seriously considered. FITUG acknowledges the need for our capital – indeed, our townships – to enjoy good order, attractiveness, and efforts to address growing congestion. However, efforts by the rightful authorities should not be considered in isolationm but consideration should be given to how these efforts will impact our citizens and visitors who live and frequent our city. Former Minister Henry Jeffery has correctly pointed out that the secrecy of the contract, guarded by the Mayor and her senior cohorts, does not allow taxpayers a clear understanding of the financial outlays and the projected earnings of the parking meters’ enterprise. Many knowledgeable individuals have already predicted woeful disadvantages for owners of vehicles who are obliged to be in the City for extended periods daily. We note with interest that the President has described the initial fees announced as burdensome, and we expect that he will encourage the Mayor and at least the City Councillors of his Party to abort the ill-conceived project. One of the parking meters that are to be installed
The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) wishes to add its voice and concern to the proposed Georgetown parking meters’ issue, currently receiving widespread attention in Guyana and in the diCOMBAT
May 17 - July 16, 2016
Imagine the additional financial burden that must be borne by the ordinary taxi and minibus owners; the delivery vans, persons making simple purchases or visiting certain city hospitals, etc. if the scheme is implemented. FITUG is of the view that this project will add little, if anything at all, to urban renewal.
An idea that has possibilities is to establish adequate parking lots. It should be publicly discussed and certainly studied for its advisability. From the perspective of FITUG, we cannot see how the parking meter scheme will have positive - if any at all - impressions on the lives of our working people. We are not oblivious to the fact that this project is likely to come when the working class is already requested to contend with increasing taxes and an economy that is underperforming. Further, our experiences show that the taxi driver, the businesses, etc. which will have to pay the metered rate will surely seek to pass on this new cost to their hapless customers – often the poor. There must be other acceptable avenues for revenue earning and other possibilities to deal with the traffic question. The fact that this “meters” approach was mooted many years ago but was not implemented seems to us that better sense prevailed and the authorities of that time were sensitive to the adverse effects of such a scheme. FITUG supports the contention that there should be more transparency and accountability from the Mayor and City Council. They should take steps to dispel the view that this is in any way a secret undertaking by some Councillors of one political group of the Georgetown City Council. Having considered the various opinions proffered, in our consideration, FITUG supports the stance that this project should not be pursued. PAGE FOUR
We are in solidarity with the workers, farmers, and residents of Wales Estate
We say: Don’t close Wales Estate
Following the revelation in January this year that the Wales Estate would be closed when the canes of the Estate’s second crop are fully harvested sometime in the last quarter of the year, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) denounced the decision and has given leadership and guidance in the many protest activities against this most anti-worker decision in the sugar industry.
workers. Through the Union’s efforts, workers from the six (6) other grinding Estates provided solidarity support for the Wales workers. Marches and public meetings at Wales were successfully conducted to demonstrate the workers’ opposition to the closure. A number of vigils were also held on the public road close to the factory. The Union also issued many statements over the period to highlight the sad consequences of the closure.
Soon after the announcement, the Union’s President sought to get the approval of the Speaker of the Parliament - on January 21, 2016 - to discuss the closure as a matter of definite urgent public importance. That request was unfortunately rejected; the Speaker advised that the matter is definite and is of public importance, but it is not urgent, since the Estate will be closed until year-end.
The GAWU was also able to solicit a number of solidarity messages from the World Federation of Trade Unions and the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Association (IUF). Copies of the solidarity messages, which criticized the Government’s decision, were also sent to the Minister of Agriculture. A forum held by a private body, which saw the participation of a number of prominent Guyanese, also denounced the decision.
Since the announcement, there have been strikes by workers of the factory and the different categories of field COMBAT
May 17 - July 16, 2016
Arising from the decision, as many as 1,700 workers -
about one-tenth of the industry’s workforce - stand to lose their jobs when the Estate finally closes. Additionally, the overwhelming majority of the 750 cane farmers economically liked to the Estate would be affected, even ruined, due to the high cost to transport their canes to Uitvlugt Estate. The difficult consequences that would confront the workers, their families, farmers and other members of the communities in the district can be avoided. Closure should not be pursued by the Government: avoid taking a course that will very well lead to poverty and deprivation, the weakening of the family fabric, the rise of crime and other negative results. The struggle to reverse the decision to close must continue, especially as the Government has not offered any plausible proposals to address the plight of those who would certainly be hard hit. PAGE FIVE
New York-based Guyanese IUF calls on Government to halt Wales Estate oppose Wales closure in solidarity with workers and residents
closure
IUF General Secretary, Cde Ron Oswald
March 07, 2016 We, the people, supporters of Better Guyana, friends of sugar workers and the Guyanese Solidarity Movement-New York, gathered at this Rally at the Naresa Palace, Queens, New York on March 27th, 2016, are alarmed by the reckless and undemocratic decisions being taken by the government that would ruin the sugar industry and the rural communities. We find the mind-boggling announcement by government to close Wales sugar factory by the end of 2016 and eventually dismantle the sugar industry witout any specific viable alternative. As an employer, sugar is to Guyana what JFK airport, the New York transit system, and health aide and security employment agencies put together are to South Queens. Guyana without sugar is a catastrophe of epic proportions. Extreme poverty will envelope the estates and villages. The communities in the sugar belt will die a slow, painful death. Despite the challenges, sugar is a major contributor to foreign exchange earnings; is the largest employer in the country; and provides vital services and linkages to rural communities and to other productive sectors. Moreover, sugar has always been resilient, and there is no doubt that it can and will make a comeback, given a chance and the support of the administration; as President Obama did in the great recession with the auto industry in the US. The sugar industry has produced some of Guyana’s greatest sons and daughters, and we are convinced that dismantling of the industry is not in the best interest of COMBAT
May 16 - July 16, 2016
Guyana. We believe, too, that this golden jubilee year of Independence is not the time to announce the demise of the most important agricultural enterprise in the country. On this occasion, we should proclaim our determination to overcome our difficulties, not to announce our surrender. We appeal to government to listen to the cries of workers and the voice of reason, and to commit to return the industry to its glory days for the benefit of all Guyanese. We urge government to:• scrap the closure plans of Wales and any other estate, and adopt interim bailout measures • end the harassment of the Unions and negotiate in good faith with them. • stop the discrimination in wage increase and benefits for sugar workers. If Ministers of government and other public servants can get an increase, why not sugar workers? • convene national dialogue with all the stakeholders in the industry unions, civic society, experts and government - regarding the situation in the industry. • work for a consensus on the way forward for sugar. We express solidarity and support for:• the struggle to save the sugar industry. • the ongoing protest on the sugar estates • the sugar workers and their Unions defending their livelihoods. We suggest that May 26th. be designated a National Day of Solidarity with Sugar.
Minister Noel Holder, Minister of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Regent & Shiv Chanderpaul Drive Georgetown, Guyana Concerns: Closure of the Wales Sugar Estate, West Demerara Dear Honorable Minister Holder, The IUF is the global trade union federation representing workers throughout the food chain. The IUF is composed of 416 affiliated unions in 126 countries, including GAWU and NAACIE in Guyana. The IUF has worked with our affiliates in Guyana for many years to try to improve the living and working conditions of workers in the sugar sector. It was therefore with shock and some disbelief that we received the news of the GuySuCo plans to close the Wales Sugar Estate at the end of 2016’s second sugar crop, especially in the absence of a socio-economic study. Sugar has historically played an important role in Guyana. It has been a crucial source of rural employment. Workers on the estate and the families who depend on them will surely be pushed into poverty by this cruel closure. The closure will bring to an end the employment of 1,700 workers at Wales Estate. We therefore urge your government to: • •
Immediately halt plans to close Wales Sugar Estate; As a matter of urgency, to enter into full and good faith negotiations with GAWU and NAACIE, to find a just solution which will maintain the estate and ensure employment.
The IUF will be monitoring the situation closely, and is fully prepared to take further action to assist workers in the Guyanese sugar industry to maintain decent employment in this crucial sector. Yours sincerely,
Ron Oswald General Secretary PAGE SIX
Belize Workers Union urges Government to reconsider Wales Estate closure March 09, 2016 Minister Noel Holder Minister of Agriculture Regent and Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown, Guyana Concerns: Closure of Wales Sugar Estate, West Demerara Dear Honourable Minister Holder, The Belize Workers’ Union (BWU) represents all one hundred and fifty (150) permanent hourly paid workers at the Belize Sugar Industries (BSI) located at Tower Hill in the Northern part of Belize, Central America. The BWU is also an affiliate of International Union of Foods (IUF) and aware of a correspondence sent to you dated March 7th, 2016 with Ref: ro/sl/0050. The BWU is in solidarity support with the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE)
that are our affiliated brother unions. The Government of Guyana should have considered close consultation with both Unions before deciding on the closure of Wales Sugar Estate, GuySuCo. These consultations would had brought fruitful alternatives on [the] way forward to keep the Estate viable and productive for the livelihood of more than 1,700 employees and families that fully depend on the Estate. While the Government of Guyana has made a decision without consulting GAWU and NAACIE, the BWU respectfully requests that [the] Unions are fully involved in the process. We also request the Government of Guyana re-consideration to the closure of the Wales Sugar Estate. Together with the IUF, the BWU will keep in solidarity with our affiliated Unions. Best regards Miguel Aguillar, General Secretary
Wales is our lifeline - Don’t close Save Wales Sugar Estate We roundly reject the decision to close Wales Estate at the end of the second crop this year (2016) Some important facts at this time:• • • • •
• •
•
The decision to close the Estate will significantly and negatively impact the lives and well-being of the 1,700 workers and their families; The 774 cane farmers also face ruin, as they will now be faced with the additional exhorbitant costs of transporting their canes to Uitvlugt; Devastation also confronts the hundreds of others who provide services and goods and live in the nearby communities, and who largely depend on the incomes of sugar workers; The economic depression will result in a rise in unemployment for the present workers as well as the youth; The GuySuCo Commission of Inquiry (CoI) said that no Estate be closed at this time and pointed out that “the current state of the economy lacks vibrancy” and closing an Estate without proper planning has “serious consequences, not only for the employees and private farmers, but for the communities as well”; and The closure of the estate will see, we contend, a marked deterioration in the quality of life, which will no doubt lead to unimaginable hardships, greater poverty, more crime and other such social ills. WE BELIEVE:- The Estate - in view of investments up to mid-January, 2016 together with a motivated workforce - with an able management and sound leadership team, can overcome its current situation and produce in keeping with the Estate’s capacity and potentiality. WE URGE:- the Government and the GuySuCo not to pursue the decision to close Wales Estate, but instead to make appropriate inputs and investments with a view to securing and expanding sugar production and stimulating this specific rural economy.
Together, let us stand up and say “Don’t close Wales” COMBAT
May 16 - July 16, 2016
WFTU in solidarity with Wales workers and farmers
The WFTU Presidential Council poses for a group photo after its meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam
The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), at its Presidential Council meeting held on March 05 - 06, 2016 in Hanoi, Vietnam, unamiously approved the undermentioned resolution in solidarity with the sugar workers as they face up to the new challenges which confront them. The resolution reads as follows:“The WFTU Presidential Council meeting reiterates its full class solidarity with our comrades of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union and the great struggles they are involved in during this critical period for the working class. We support their struggles, that emerged after the Government has decided that the Wales Sugar Estate, one of the seven (7) grinding estates employing about 10 per cent of the industry’s workforce, would be closed this year end. The closure will certainly negatively impact the workers in terms of employment and their and their family’s well-being. It will also affect the residents of many communities and close to 800 cane farmers, who would suffer heavy financial losses and possibly many may be ruined. At this time, the workers, the farmers and residents are mounting a struggle to have the unpopular decision reversed. They have our full solidarity and support. We also stress our support to the ongoing struggle for wages increases which, for the first time in over three (3) decades,
were denied to sugar workers; and for a fair production incentive award rather than the paltry unjust award imposed by the Corporation and the political authority. At this time, too, the Union is facing a retreat by the Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) on the practice of Collective Bargaining, the violation of the Recognition and the Avoidance and Settlement of Disputes Agreement subsisting between the Union and the Corporation, and the Trade Union Recognition Act. We express our full support and solidarity with the workers and the people of Guyana in their great and important struggles, and we join our voices with the Guyanese labour movement and for the satisfaction of their rightful demands.” The WFTU was established in the wake of the Second World War, after the defeat of Hitlerite fascism, as well as at the foundation of the United Nations in June, 1945. It was formed to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international trade union organization. Many delegations of trade unions from different countries, including Guyana, attended the first Congress of the World Federation of Trade Unions, held in Paris from 3rd to 8th October, 1945. However, there was a split in this body with the creation of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) in 1949 and the advent of the Cold War. The WFTU has a membership of 92 million persons in 126 countries. PAGE SEVEN
We say: Don’t close Wales Estate
COMBAT
May 17 - July 16, 2016
PAGE EIGHT
The Enmore Martyrs showed... Continued from page two What is heartening is that we also see the revitalization of the workers’ and other working peoples’ struggles against the austerity measures in order to protect and preserve their gains, to halt the steady deterioration of democracy and to safeguard their freedoms and rights. With such developments in mind, we remain concerned about what is taking place in the sugar industry, and its impact on the lives of thousands of workers and their dependents. Here, we can say with certainty that the workers struggles are continuing. New challenges have been thrown up, and workers feel compelled to defend and safeguard their interests, which from time to time see attempts at their erosion. While the previous and new Governments have both given financial support to the sugar industry, that support unfortunately was not directly felt in the workers’ pay packet in 2015, making sugar workers the only category of the state’s workers that did not get a pay rise – a denial experienced for the first time in over 30 years. Then there is currently before us, the on-going vexed issue of the closure of Wales Estate, which threatens the jobs of some one-tenth of the industry’s workforce, as well as poses threats to hundreds of cane farmers and many others who earn a living from the operation of the estate.
Until now, neither the Unions nor the public have been informed of a properly studied proposal that the authorities hope to implement on the impending closure of Wales Estate. Also of importance to our Union is the fate that awaits the scores of workers linked to the soon-to-be-closed operations of LBI Estate. At this time, we recall the resolution unanimously approved on this May Day by workers of the GTUC and FITUG, calling on the Government not to close Wales and the LBI Estate operations. The Government seems not to be listening to the voice of the working people. Comrades, the state and performance of the sugar industry is of great concern to us in GAWU, and we are sure to many Guyanese too. While indeed the industry confronts challenges, we are optimistic that, with adequate resources and good management, they can be overcome. A healthy and viable sugar industry is in the interest of all Guyana from an economic and social perspective. We should not let the sugar industry go into oblivion. We reiterate that a motivated workforce and knowledgeable management are key ingredients to go forward, and GAWU is optimistic that the industry can be made viable once again. Comrades, the Enmore Martyrs and the 1948 struggle, like so many heroic struggles previously and after, have
GuySuCo makes 42 workers redundant
GuySuCo official says Rose Hall factory being considered for closure
The Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo), in closing the operations of the Field Workshop, the Mill Dock, the Field Lab, the Stores, and the Offices at La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara with effect from July 31, 2016, held a number of meetings with the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the workers of the above-mentioned places in determining their deployment and retrenchment. Forty (40) workers who are members of GAWU have been deemed redundant and are to receive their redundancy payments expectedly in August, 2016. Ninety-eight (98) workers have been transferred to work at the neighbouring Enmore Estate. Eighty (80) members of the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) would be transferred to Enmore, and two (2) have been made redundant. The redundant LBI workers and the hundreds from Wales Estate who would be made jobless when the decision to close that Estate is fully enforced at the end of the year is depressing news to the workers of the industry. Rose Hall sugar factory is also being COMBAT
May 17 - July 16, 2016
considered for closure at the end of the first crop next year (2017). While this statement is unverified, an official of GuySuCo, during a recent visit to that Estate, is reported to have alluded that such decision is likely to be taken. The closure of the Rose Hall factory will not only render the factory workers redundant, but a sizeable number of field workers from the Providence section of the Estate would be affected. The loss of jobs, which is gaining traction in the sugar industry, was not thought of before the National Elections of May, 2015. The parties of the present coalition Government, in the campaign trail, assured that the industry would be secured and the workers do not have to worry about their employment. At this time, workers across the industry are disturbed and concerned about their job security. Already, the fate of Wales Estate and the ending of operations at LBI are negatively impacting morale of workers’ across the industry. There is much uncertainty about the Government’s policy towards the industry’s future. Recent statements which attested to the creation of an “Other Crops” division within the industry are fuelling the uncertainty.
enriched our history. In the face of today’s many and varied challenges, we can draw inspiration from those struggles. Today, as we reflect on the sacrifices of the Enmore Martyrs and their struggle for a better life for all Guyanese working people, we must express concern at the proposed parking meters in Georgetown and the 100 per cent increase of the Bridge Toll of the Demerara Harbour Bridge. At the end of the day, these will be passed on to the ordinary people, thus pushing up the cost-of-living. The Enmore Martyrs, once more, showed that we can overcome adversities and win out if our demands are just and our struggles are principled and reasonable. This is their abiding lesson to us. Thus, in our times, this generation of workers can point to the ongoing relevance of the Enmore Martyrs. Their enduring message should not be forgotten. That message confirms to the experiences of the workers of the world that unity, struggles and solidarity are necessary for improvement in our work lives and all-round progress. We salute the Enmore Martyrs! Long Live Our Ongoing Struggles! Let us go forward and win other victories!
GAWU/SILWFC approve 2015 salary agreement The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the Sugar Industry Labour Welfare Fund Committee (SILWFC) on June 09, 2016 appended amendments to the Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) subsisting between the parties to facilitate adjustments for a four (4) per cent salary rise for last year (2015) as well as improvements in cycle allowance, sewing allowance for uniforms, bursary awards, long service awards and year-end bonuses. The amendments were approved when the negotiations between the parties concluded in June, 2016. The late negotiations stemmed from the non-functioning of the Board of the SILWFC for seven (7) months, owing to a change of Government from May, 2015. The Union is to negotiate again with the Committee, expectedly within a
few months, to consider the claims for 2016. The Union is seeking, among other things, a ten (10) per cent salary increase . The SILWFC is charged with considering and approving interest-free loans to sugar workers to build, repair and extend their houses; the development of housing areas and allocation of house lots through lands made available by the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo); the provision of water subsidies to sugar workers; the construction/rehabilitation of roads, footpaths, bridges, and bus sheds, etc. in sugar workers’ residential areas; to develop community centres, recreational facilities and other infrastructure to better the sugar workers, and to address other social issues affecting sugar workers.
“Capitalist barbarism, crisis and Imperialist wars,
or socialism” PAGE NINE
INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL
Muhammad Ali’s Real Legacy: True Patriotism
Muhammad Ali
By Ivan Eland Although it is customary to say nice things about a person who has died, Muhammad Ali has been rightly commended for not only his superb boxing career, but also his principled opposition to the then-popular Vietnam War. Unlike later chairborne hawks, such as Bill Clinton and Dick Cheney, Ali did not try to evade the draft or get numerous college deferments to avoid service. He declared that, because of his religion, he would not fight against people who had done nothing to him ,and bluntly said, “Just take me to jail.” Therefore, it is difficult to argue that Ali avoided the war for selfish reasons, because the costs of non-compliance with the draft were substantial. If the Supreme Court had not nullified his conviction 8-0, he would have served five years in prison. Although he ultimately avoided losing his liberty, he had to give up his heavy weight boxing title and experience financial hardship as a result. At the time, Ali’s was not a popular stand, but he turned out to be right about many things, just as the then unpopular civil rights heroes Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King were. The war — in a faraway, insignificant country — turned out to be a non-strategic quagmire in the competition with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Of course, then-President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) privately predicted that at the time, but escalated the conflict anyway, so as not to be seen as a wimp politically; he had an eye toward winning the 1968 election. The war killed 58,000 Americans, a few million Vietnamese, and drained equipment and resources from the U.S. military, which it hollowed out for more important missions. Like George W. Bush during the Iraq War and many COMBAT
May 17 - July 16, 2016
other American presidents when conflict has been afoot, LBJ essentially lied the United States into war by saying that the North Vietnamese patrol boats had twice attacked a U.S. warship off the coast of Vietnam. Even if the North Vietnamese did attack once, it was in retaliation for the ships supporting secret raids on North Vietnam’s coast, which LBJ just forgot to mention. He also forgot to tell the American people that the Americans fired first in the dust-up with the patrol boats. And when LBJ ordered U.S. bombing in retaliation for these attacks, he was in such a hurry to get on prime time TV that he announced that the U.S. air attacks on North Vietnam had occurred before they had even started. The North Vietnamese, realizing this amazing reality, had their air defenses ready when U.S. aircraft came overhead and inflicted unneeded casualties on U.S. air forces. Subsequently, Congress passed the open-ended Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which essentially let LBJ do whatever he wanted in Southeast Asia. He and his successor Richard Nixon did. Yet the Vietnam War was popular for a long time in America before the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive in 1968 exposed LBJ’s lie that the United States was winning the war. Wars that drag on result in mounting U.S. casualties, and do not appear to be for a worthy objective; often eventually become unpopular at home, as the similar unending battles with guerillas in Afghanistan and Iraq have become. But why don’t Americans spot these turkeys in advance and just say “no!”? Why do they wait until large amounts of blood and treasure have been futilely wasted to call it quits. (We still can’t seem to admit that Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Syria have been lost.)
One reason is that the American people almost always think patriotism means giving the benefit of the doubt to the president, so much so nowadays that if the president asks Congress to approve a war, he thinks he needs to do so only out of courtesy. Lately, we have not had very good luck with this method, which has led to perpetual war in many Third World hellholes simultaneously. We should go back to the founders’ now seemingly out-offashion constitutional requirement for Congress to declare war. But members of Congress, to avoid taking any responsibility for a conflict, run into the shadows, even when a president such as Barack Obama says he would like an authorization for war. Even by approving the war, the Congress could at least constrain the war on terror (even though it is also out-of-fashion now to label it as such) within a specific geographical area or against certain terror groups — like maybe those that have actually attacked the United States. But many times in American history, both the Congress and the people have agreed to wage ill-advised wars. Perhaps citizens should remember that, in America, originally “patriots” were not people who reflexively supported their government, but those who instead went against it in support of society and its values. Patriots in the American Revolution were Englishmen fighting for their rights against their English King and Parliament. So the country was founded on a very different concept of patriotism than has taken hold nowadays. Patriotism has been turned on its head, and is now synonymous with reflexive nationalism — support for your government, no matter what. Muhammad Ali was a true patriot of the original variety when he just said “hell no” to meddling in another country’s business; which was unneeded and was, from the beginning, unlikely to turn out well.
Scorching global temps astound climate scientists In Southern California, firefighters are battling one of the “most extreme” fires the region has ever seen. The so-called sand fire had consumed 38,346 acres and forced the evacuations of 10,000 homes, and one person has died. The fire is an omen of things to come: Even if rainfall amounts don’t change in the future, drought and wildfire severity likely will, because warmer temperatures are more efficient at evaporating what little moisture does fall.
Southern California’s wildfires
By Nika Knight Record global heat in the first half of 2016 has caught climate scientists off-guard. Massive temperature hikes, but also extreme events like floodings, have become the new normal. The ice melt rates recorded in the first half of 2016, for example arent seen until later in the year. Indeed, extreme weather events are currently wreaking havoc around the world.
A changing climate is transforming our landscape, and fire is one of the tools it uses. Expect to see more of it in more places as temperatures rise. Meanwhile, in India’s northeast, over 1.2 million people have been hit by floods which have submerged hundreds of villages; inundated large swathes of farmland; and damaged roads, bridges and telecommunications services. Nearly 90,000 people are currently being housed in 220 relief camps. In Iraq, temperatures reached such unprecedented heights that a chef literally fried an egg on the sidewalk. In the USA, the heat dome continues to inflict scorching temperatures across the country.
PAGE TEN
INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL
UK government steps up its role in NATO warmongering
‘Trident’ is a system of submarine missiles being able to deliver thermonuclear warheads
by Harvey Thompson The recent vote by Britain’s Parliament for the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system has a dual significance. Newly-installed Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May used her first high profile appearance in Parliament to reiterate the UK’s readiness for war against Russia in alliance with the United States and NATO—and to solidarise herself with the 140 Labour MPs who voted with the government in opposition to party leader Jeremy Corbyn. The Brexit vote to leave the EU has accelerated the global financial crisis and the disintegration of the EU— presenting a direct threat to the strategic interests of the ruling elite in Britain and the US. This was a central factor in the near seamless coronation of May and the ongoing attempts to depose Corbyn as Labour leader, which has the backing of the majority of Labour MPs. Corbyn has stated that he would not authorise the use of nuclear weapons, leading to senior figures in the British military threatening a mutiny against him if he came to power. Those in the highest echelons of the British state, in conjunction with the US State Department and the CIA, will not countenance any such vacillation over the preparation for war with Russia, and have played a key role in activating the move against him. To underscore this agenda, in response to a question from the Scottish National Party’s George Kerevan, “Is she personally prepared to authorise a nuclear strike that could kill 100,000 innocent men, women and children?” May replied, “Yes.” Trident renewal was essential, she insisted, as “there is the threat from existing nuclear states such as Russia.” No British prime minister has previously given such a direct answer. The vote to renew Trident came just 10 days after the NATO summit in Warsaw. At the summit, David Cameron also made clear Britain’s full commitment to NATO COMBAT
May 17 - July 16, 2016
military aggression against Russia. In his last foreign appearance as prime minister, he said, “This summit is a chance for us to reiterate our strong support for Ukraine and our other eastern allies ,to deter Russian aggression. Actions speak louder than words and the UK is proud to be taking the lead role, deploying troops across Eastern Europe. It is yet another example of the UK leading in NATO.” He concluded by threatening, “Russia must be in no doubt that the NATO forces are lined up in Europe, and we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with each other.” In his own effort to counter fears that last month’s Brexit vote for Britain to leave the European Union (EU) will diminish the UK’s role in NATO’s military buildup on Russia’s border, Cameron announced a “three-pronged” commitment. This will see 500 British soldiers sent to Estonia, 150 to Poland, and 3,000 placed on call as part of a rapid-response unit. Four multinational battalions are to be deployed by early 2017 to Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia—led by the US, the UK, Germany and Canada respectively. UK troops have previously been deployed in the Baltic States for military training exercises, but this is the first time they will be based there permanently. Britain is also to extend the deployment of four Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters with the Baltic Air Policing Mission. In addition, Britain is to take over the leadership of NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) from 2017—with 3,000 troops in the UK and Germany on standby to move with as little as five days’ notice. The 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade will provide land headquarters, and there will be an armoured infantry battle group from the 1st Battalion, the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment. This will include Challenger 2 tanks, Warrior armoured fighting vehicles, and a light infantry battle group from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. At the end of June, British personnel joined NATO’s
largest ever war games exercises in Ukraine, near the Polish border. The exercise saw 2,000 soldiers, helicopter gunships and armoured fighting vehicles take part in simulated battle scenarios. The official rationale for NATO’s military aggression is that the alliance is responding to the territorial ambitions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in March, 2014. British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said UK deployments were aimed to “deter Russia from any further aggression… This is something NATO’s been planning for a while; that countries like Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia have made clear that they want.” In reality, the annexation of Crimea was a desperate move by Moscow in response to the fascist-led putsch in Kiev on February 22, 2014, orchestrated by Washington and Berlin. At the Warsaw summit, US President Barrack Obama also sought to address the impact of the Brexit vote on the military alliance—following calls led by Germany for a foreign and military policy - with the assistance of France, Italy and other Western European powers that is more aggressive and more independent of Washington. “The vote in the United Kingdom to leave the EU has created uncertainty about the future of European integration. And unfortunately, this has led some to suggest that the entire edifice of European security and prosperity is crumbling,” Obama said. “There have been those who have been questioning ‘what does this mean for the transatlantic relationship?’ Let me just say, as is often the case in moments of change, this kind of hyperbole is misplaced.” Obama later wrote in a Financial Times column that “the special relationship between the US and the UK will endure.” The summit was also the occasion to reiterate Britain’s commitment to NATO’s target of spending 2 percent of GDP on the military, a pledge Cameron adopted after last year’s general election, following US pressure. “There can be no backsliding on this issue,” said a UK official. The UK is a critical political and military component of NATO’s geopolitical machinations. It has the second largest budget in NATO, the largest in the EU, and the fifth largest in the world. It is one of only five countries that meet the 2 per cent GDP target on defence. UK armed forces are already deployed in more than 80 countries across the world, including 450 soldiers in Afghanistan and more than 275 military training personnel in Iraq. An additional 50 troops are to be deployed to Afghanistan, due to the worsening security situation in the country and in line with the slowing and reversal of the drawdown of US troops. On April 1, the UK defence budget went up in real terms for the first time in six years. In last summer’s budget, the government committed to increasing defence spending by 0.5 percent above inflation every year until 2021. It is also committed, under conditions of projected economic turmoil following Brexit, to continue to meet NATO’s target of 2 percent of GDP spending on defence for the rest of the decade. PAGE ELEVEN
GAWU’s tribute to Cde Rooplall Persaud Comrades, it is always difficult to bear the grief that comes with death, and even more difficult to face up when death takes a close comrade and friend. On behalf of the General Council and the membership of the G AW U, and on my own Cde Rooplall Persaud behalf, I extend our condolences on the death of Cde Rooplall Persaud to his wife, children, grandchildren, relatives, and friends. It was with a sense of deep shock and grief that we learnt of his passing. We were all caught by surprise, and could not believe the news, which spread quickly among the Union’s employees and members and others. Cde Rooplall never faltered in addressing the responsibilities he was assigned. He was not merely engaged in a job as a ritual, but he applied himself creatively and often showed initiative when tasks had to be done even within the timeframe of a working day. He was good at plan-
ning and organizing his work, and tackled it in a pragmatic manner. He was always able to get things done. He was honest, dedicated, and highly trusted. We recognize that he found pride and joy in working at GAWU. As a staff member, he was always kind and friendly to his colleagues and union members who sought representation. Comrade Persaud shared a long relationship with our Union, spanning many years, even before he became a Union employee twenty-one (21) years ago. As a cane harvester, he was once an effective shop steward and Union activist at LBI Estate, where he represented sugar workers’ interests. Recognizing his ability, his fellow workers supported him to become the Union’s Field Secretary at LBI Estate. He was also a member of the Union’s General Council and Central Executive Committee for a number of years. Persaud’s prominence in the Union was indeed remarkable. He rose to, and served as, Treasurer and Manager of the Union, and continued to be elected to the post of Treasurer. As Treasurer, he strongly upheld strict and transparent accountability of the Union’s finances and expenditure. GAWU, over the years, is proud of the fact that its financial records prepared by Cde Persaud had been audited by the Office of the Auditor General, which observed that the Union’s finances have been managed in accordance with sound financial management and accountability procedures. Cde Rooplall was also elected the Secretary of the GAWU Co-operative Credit Union Society Limited. During his tenure, he brought to bear his many practical experiences to promote the Society and its benefits among the workers. Certainly, those many Credit Union members who interacted with him will surely miss him. Let me not fail to mention, too, that Cde Persaud served on the Board of the Sugar Industry Labour Welfare Fund Committee (SILWFC) for years. That body is charged with, among other things, considering and approving housing loans to qualified sugar workers.
GuySuCo slashes sugar target by 45,000 tonnes
A sugar worker fetching canes on his head
The Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo), in January this year, disclosed that its yearly sugar production target was set at 239,513 tonnes sugar. Some months after, the Corporation announced that its second crop target is 137,264 tonnes. Through its latest announcement, GuySuCo has now reduced its year’s target to 194,586 tonnes. 44,947 tonnes is a massive reduction.
Did the Corporation carelessly take an account of the canes in the fields when the target was determined earlier this year? The El Nino weather condition, which lasted from August 2015 to April 2016, should not be made the scapegoat for the sad situation. The target-setting took place when it was fully understood that the super dry weather would last for many months. The Corporation, for some years now, has been setting out targets which are unrealistic when an account is taken of the canes in the fields. Poor production is linked basically to poor agronomy, which continues to bedevil this important industry as it did in recent years. Unless this matter is comprehensively addressed, with the industry given the necessary resources it needs, then low and inadequate sugar production would remain a main hindrance to its better performance. It is time to examine the stewardship of the Industry’s Management, lest the industry is left to decline further, causing serious consequences to all stakeholders and the country’s economy.
Today, as we pay our respects to an outstanding colleague and comrade, to a friend of the working-people, Cde Persaud, one can say without contradiction that he had discharged his responsibility to the Union and its members admirably and with commitment. We hold the view that we must not allow such a sterling contribution to be discontinued because Persaud is no more physically with us. Indeed, let us cherish such rich memories; let us continue along the trail he would have helped clear in his lifetime. With Cde Persaud’s departure, our Union and Credit Union have lost an outstanding leader and supporter. He served in different capacities, and served with distinction. He will be missed very much by the comrades he worked with; as well as by the people he had befriended. His children have lost a dear father, his wife a dedicated husband, and his friends a dear friend indeed. All who knew him, who interacted with him, would no doubt say he was a good man taken away too early and when he could have offered so much more service to his family, fellow men, organization and country. Cde Persaud, the GAWU salutes you. We say goodbye to a dear friend and comrade of the working class and an outstanding leader of GAWU. Once again, our sincerest condolences. Rest in peace, dear comrade!
New taxes, the economy and the cost of living Continued from page one Though it is recognized that taxation is an important element in an economy such as ours, and a means for the State to provide for local facilities and services, the truth is that real economic growth comes not from taxation but from production, productivity and job creation. The economy of a nation is built not on taxation but by production, commerce, trade and industrialization. With this in mind, it is reasonable to expect that the taxation policy and system must be such as to encourage, facilitate and engender the growth and expansion of these sectors. As these sectors grow and expand, they will yield increased economic benefits, not least in the creation of jobs with their accompanying benefits. While it must be acknowledged that there were small improvements to the tax threshold and pensions in the 2016 Budget, at the same time, the new and increased taxes will evaporate those gains. An approach that is unsympathetic to the productive workers cannot also be helpful in making an economy robust. This approach to workers was seen in the pittance of wages’ increase paid to state employees last year, contrary to promises made. Worse for the employees of the State Corporation GuySuCo, they got nothing, hardly a ‘thanks’ for their good work performance. Even their API award was steeply reduced. Any Government worth its salt has to pursue policies that will establish an environment which will create stable jobs with decent wages, and not seek to pile pressures and burdens on the people, especially the working people. A number of infrastructural projects are expected to be launched this year, and these will impact employment; but this must be weighed against the many hundreds who have been thrown on the breadline over the last year. Along with these projects, there is need to encourage investor confidence, which has fallen significantly due to the early actions taken by the Government. It is difficult to see how the new taxes will stimulate confidence and the promised “Good Life”. Not many seem to feel enthused that we are now set on that path.
COMBAT IS A PUBLICATION OF THE GUYANA AGRICULTURAL & GENERAL WORKERS UNION (GAWU) 59 HIGH STREET & WIGHTS LANE, KINGSTON, GEORGETOWN, GUYANA, S.A. TEL: 592-227-2091/2; 225-5321 , 223-6523 FAX: 592-227-2093 EMAIL: GAWU@BBGY.COM WEBSITE: WWW.GAWU.NET