| While Phagwah celebrations were in full swing yesterday, the Enmore SugarMohamed Ali,Asics Gel Kayano 23 Noir, who has been unable to work since June last year due to a badly fractured foot, is experiencing problems with his NIS benefit.workers went on strike once again, plunging the Guyana Sugar Corporation into further crisis.It is the second such action by cane cutters within the past few weeks, severely hampering the harvesting of cane, three weeks into the first crop for the year.Reports are that the cane cutters called the strike in solidarity with some of their co-workers who were injured on the job that were not being dealt with adequately or fairly by the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and GuySuCo.The cane cutters assembled at the Enmore Martyrs Monument and voiced their concerns to members of the media and a delegation from the Alliance for Change,Jerseys NFL China, which included Gerhard Ramsaroop and Kojo McPherson, along with political activist, Frederick Kissoon.One of the affected workers is Mohamed Ali, who suffered a broken right foot after falling from a punt in June last year for which he had to have an external fixation device.His wife Devi Persaud claimed that he only received six months of benefits from NIS which abruptly stopped and since then she has been given the “royal run-around.”“This man lay down pon he bed with an income from nowhere. You go at de estate,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, nobody tell you anything. You go at de NIS and dem ah tell you jim cock bring ram goat.”The woman said that, initially the NIS had claimed that she had collected money on behalf of her husband when she did not.As for the workers union, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU), they too have been frustrating the whole process, Persaud told this newspaper.Some of the workers even suggested a change in the union that represents them, since they are convinced that “GAWU and the government are one”.Seetaram Ramnarine was injured on the job in December 2011 and he is still recovering.His ankle is still visibly swollen and he is unable to return to work yet the NIS office issued a note saying he is fit to work.During the period that Ramnarine was off of the job he only received the equivalent of ten days pay which amounted to about $24,000.He is at “a total loss” at the NIS’s evaluation of him and he has become frustrated since he is not receiving adequate compensation.This injured man is the sole breadwinner of his home and has a daughter attending school.His bills are mounting up and he is worried about his electricity being cut off.Another sugar worker, Seemangal Chatiram also lamented that he suffers from a heart condition and is not being compensated.He produced documents to confirm that he has been a patient at the Georgetown hospital’s medical clinic, ever since he collapsed on the worksite.Chaitram said that although his heart condition has been confirmed by doctors at the Georgetown Hospital, medical personnel at the GuySuCo Enmore Estate are insisting that his ailment is no more than a pulled muscle and they have advised him to go back to work.Many of the workers protested that periods which they made NIS contributions remain unaccounted for and they are holding GuySuCo responsible since they expect the Corporation to maintain proper records.Another contentious issue was that of the medical service provided by GuySuCo Enmore Estate.The problem was amplified yesterday morning when one of the workers fell ill and had to be rushed to the estate clinic, where there was no medic present.This is despite there being a house built for a resident medic but which is now occupied by load operators.The worker was then placed in the ambulance to be taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital. However, the ambulance which is in a clear state of disrepair only made it as far as La Bonne Intention (LBI).Striking sugar workers block the path of the dilapidated ambulance,Cheap Soccer Jerseys Free Shipping, which is used to transport injured workers to the hospital.Kaieteur News understands that the engine of the ambulance sputters and smokes excessively (the smoke and smell of gasoline gets inside the vehicle), the tyres are second-hand and euro-band was used to cover the rotted holes in the body of the tyres.When the ambulance returned to Enmore,China Jerseys Cheap, its path was blocked by the angry striking canecutters so that the media could get a proper look at it.Complaints were also raised by the workers about the conditions of work when the estate is not grinding canes. They said that they are supposed to be given four days of work per week at an average pay of $10,000.However, the workers claim that the tasks they are given often take more than a day to complete and therefore they are forced to work more than four days to receive four days’ pay.The low pay coupled with the bad working conditions force the workers to seek alternative incomes away from the estate.Other workers, who are paid by the day and not by the task said that they were promised an evaluation with the aim of raising their pay from some $1,Cheap Stitched Jerseys,500 per day to $2,500, yet that promise remains unfulfilled.During the strike yesterday, the workers reiterated issues that they had placed squarely at the feet of management.One major problem was cane being planted far in the backdam costing some $133M but because there were no canals dug and the soil was far too soft for tractors, the cane had to be left uncut.The new tractors that were reportedly bought for some $18M each did not last more than a few weeks in the fields. They began to experience major damages for which there was no apparent warranty.Many of the workers live in Foulis, ECD, close to the estate and they also raised some issues affecting their community.They said that the lack of proper drainage and functioning pumps resulted in frequent flooding at the slightest rainfall which adversely affects their kitchen gardens and livestock. They depend on both for food and an extra dollar.Quite recently the workers said that they were told they had to pay $1,000 per household every month for garbage collection. This would amount to $763,000 per month and they cannot understand why so much money is needed, especially when they are already paying rates and taxes.The AFC, which has been at the forefront of championing the workers’ cause, said in a statement yesterday that they are not trying to replace the Guyana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), but to highlight the issues with the aim of securing timely resolutions.The AFC emphasised that the sugar industry is in trouble and that it must not be allowed to collapse.“It is vital not just as a major employer and foreign exchange earner, but also for the enormous contribution it can make to the energy sector through bagasse and ethanol,” the AFC said. |
