13 Police again break up sugar workers’ protest NEWS
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM
...protest will continue against “inflexible” GuySuCo – GAWU
W
orkers of the Uitvlugt Sugar Estate, West Coast Demerara (WCD) on Friday continued protest action against the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) for better workplace protocols against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and were yet again dispersed by Police. The picketing started on Wednesday, with workers demanding that the company promote adequate social distancing while ensuring that their hours of work remained outside of the 18:00h-06:00h curfew period. In a statement on Friday, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) said the workers practised social distancing and wore masks while protesting for their demands to be considered. They voiced that this stance was in the interest of preserving their safety in the face of COVID-19. However, the sugar workers were met with opposition from a swarm of Police ranks, with instructions to remove from the site with which they complied. The Union detailed, “Certainly, their calls are not outlandish or unprincipled as some have sought to say.
Workers picketing outside the Uitvlugt Sugar Estate on Friday
Today, as the workers continued their protests, in keeping with the relevant conditions, a contingent of Police Officers again turned up. In announcing their presence, the officers instructed the workers to immediately end their picketing and to disperse from the vicinity. When asked why they were being asked to end their picketing, the Police advised that the COVID-19 restrictions prevented such activities… Notwithstanding the explanation, the Police insisted and the workers being respectful heeded their call though most upset and disturbed.” GAWU went on to say that discussions with GuySuCo were required at this time to bring this matter to rest. But this has been lacking from the company’s end. The Union
further added that the situation has escalated to a point where it was “most unfortunate” and moreover, the only intention was to secure proper health practices for workers to remain safe. “We hold that sober-minded discussions could well see an appropriate arrangement being reached in the interest of all parties. However, it appears from the company’s point-of-view, such an approach is lacking and contributing to the sorry state of affairs. We, nevertheless, look forward to sensibleness being arrived at in view of the prevailing public health crisis. The workers’ call, we reiterate, has significant merit and is in keeping with policies that have been embraced in other sections of the Estate already,” GAWU said.
With no talks to resolve the issue, the workers’ representative body expressed that GuySuCo was being inflexible despite some level of compromise from workers. The Estate continues to uphold its position that the workers must operate in the curfew hours notwithstanding the difficulties they face. “At this time, … GuySuCo remains inflexible though at
the commencement of the outof-crop period, it had agreed that workers would not work during the curfew period.” On Thursday, GAWU said these actions were seen as attempts “to trample on the rights of the workers”. “While we are unsure of how the Police arrived at the scene, the workers were most upset that their peaceful activity was abruptly and forci-
50% of residents of Palms tested for COVID-19
Sister arrested after handing over brother’s illegal gun to Police Palms Geriatric Home
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The pistol that was handed over to Police
The dried cannabis
41 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for cultivating a prohibited The shotgun retrieved by Police at Bartica Village during a raid plant. It was he Police are on the reported hunt for a farmer afthat Police ter his sister handtravelled ed over an unlicensed pistol to Gaettroy to them during a raid at his and De home on Thursday. Veldt, comBased on reports remunities ceived, Police, acting on inalong the formation, travelled to De Berbice Veldt, Berbice River to conR i v e r , duct a search of the farmwhere they er’s home, but he was not at found aphome at the time. His sisproximately ter, nevertheless, cooperatthree acres ed and handed over the gun of cannato the lawmen. bis plants. As such, she was taken There were into custody as the Police The packaged ganja found at Bartica Village reportedcontinued to search for her ly 13,000 valued at $1.6 million and sibling. plants ranging from six In addition, the ranks an unlicensed shotgun were inches to two feet in height. proceeded to another house discovered. A nursery with about Several identification at Bartica Village, Berbice 3000 seedlings, approxiRiver, where they con- documents of the occupant mately 7 kilograms of dried ducted a search and found were found at the site. The ganja, and five camps were 20 kilograms of packaged Police are on the hunt for also discovered and deganja. The cannabis was the suspect. stroyed. Frank was found On Monday, 21-yearfound in 23 parcels. Also, in the fields and as such, he 20 pounds of dried cannabis old Trelon Frank, of Lot was arrested and charged.
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bly terminated,” GAWU said in the missive. It went on to reiterate calls for better sense to prevail and for an amicable and workable arrangement to be arrived at. GAWU said it believed that a “sober and sincere consideration” of the workers’ views should be pursued and acknowledgement made of the harm they could face at this time.
t least 200 residents at the Palms Geriatric Home have so far been tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) amid reports that several of them have tested positive. That figure is about 50
per cent of the occupants at the Home. Director of Social Services, Whentworth Tanner stated that efforts were being made to have all of the residents tested in phases. Over the past weeks, six
new patients, all female, have tested positive, taking the total cases at the Palms to 12, with one death. In a recent interview, the Director of Social Services confirmed that the additional patients who tested positive for the virus have been placed in isolation at the infirmary of the Palms. He added that several staffers of the facility had been placed in ‘home quarantine’. Tanner said that the situation at the Palms was being closely monitored by the Public Health and Social Protection Ministries. The Palms recorded its first case of COVID-19 in April. Meanwhile, at a national level, the Public Health Ministry has so far recorded a total of 150 confirmed cases and 11 deaths.
St Rose’s Alumni members donate to vulnerable students
M
embers of the St. Rose’s Alumni Association (Guyana) Inc. have spearheaded a project to provide hampers to vulnerable students of the school in light of the present COVID-19 pandemic. With assistance from the headmistress and faculty, fifty (50) students were identified to benefit from the receipt of hampers that included food supplies, personal care items, and reading material. The past students had, earlier this month, gathered to assemble and distribute hampers to families located in Central Georgetown and along the East Coast, East Bank, West Coast, and West Bank Demerara corridors. President of the St Rose’s Alumni Association, Keon Smith, has expressed immense gratitude to the individuals and businesses who made this inaugural activity possible, including past stu-
Members of the St Rose’s Alumni Association (Guyana) getting the hampers together for distribution
dents and friends. He has acknowledged that without the kind donations of Universal Janitorial Services & Supplies, 401 Furniture Store, and Doerga Business Enterprise, the project would not have been possible. Further, Smith has expressed hope that more persons would come on board this project in the future to bring relief to even more vul-
nerable families during this time of protracted lockdown. Members of the St. Rose’s Alumni Association (Guyana) Inc. include Ronald Kissoon, Ruth Jeffers, Kemie Haniff, Densie Hodge, Raquel Thomas, Chevon Lim, Tracy Smith, Rensford Niles and Simone Gonsalves. The Association was formed in January 2020.
