Sacked Wales sugar workers facing extremely tough times

Former Wales sugar worker Arvin Bradford has decried the financial strain that has been facing his family over the past year.
The Free and Easy, West Bank Demerara (WBD) resident told Guyana Times International that since the closure of the estate, he plants his land with cash crops. But, he gave all indications that his life was not what the name of his village suggested as his earnings now were not sufficient to take care of his wife and children.
“Twenty years I worked with [Guyana Sugar Corporation] GuySuCo. Right now, I struggling. I got a lil’ piece of land and by time I plant that out, everything done sell out and eat out. Four pickney me got and that not easy to maintain. The smallest one is couple months,” he expressed.

He explained that one of his children attended nursery school while the others attended primary school. Bradford contended that not having employment meant that his youngest child was born into a situation of poverty. Bradford said in 2016, he was injured but afterwards he was not offered suitable work or compensation from the National Insurance Scheme (NIS).
“They forcing people to go to Uitvlugt but I ain’t going nowhere. Here become redundant and they supposed to pay we off. From 2016, I get a head injury while working for GuySuCo; I do a head scan and I ain’t get nothing from NIS,” he stressed.
He further explained that he was given a referral by the hospital that he could perform “light labour”, but was not offered such tasks at Wales and he instead opted for severance as the entity was being closed.
He said sugar workers were being neglected despite their contribution to Guyana.
“It seems to me like cane cutters [are] nothing in this country. I feel neglected because without we, there woulda never be a sugar industry…nobody could get pay, nobody wouldn’t get a job, no sugar to make, no molasses to sell, but the hardest set of workers ain’t getting nothing,” Bradford detailed.
He then highlighted that the surrounding Estate villages were suffering as there were “more sellers than buyers”.
Despite the calls and even protests by Wales sugar workers and their families, GuySuCo announced earlier this month that those employees were not entitled to their termination benefits. This was declared by acting GuySuCo Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Paul Bhim, who maintained that GuySuCo honoured all its obligations regarding the payment of severance at the Wales Estate. He told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that cane cutters were offered jobs at the Uitvlugt Estate and they were at risk of self-termination because of their refusal to take up this offer.
However, the workers argued that they were being pressured by GuySuCo when they were aware that the Uitvlugt Estate was located more than 20 miles from Wales. They still contend that this move is contrary to the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act.