| An early start of cane harvesting in the sugar industry continues to be dogged by strikes with more than 1,000 Rose Hall workers reportedly on their fifth day of strike yesterday.With Guyana setting its sights on almost 300,000 tonnes of sugar this year, about 80,000 more than what was declared in 2010,Cheap Jerseys From China, officials of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) admitted yesterday that they were worried and that workers were striking at the Berbice estate.Estate officials yesterday told Kaieteur News that four gangs of workers from Rose Hall, with more than 1,000 workers, were assisting at Albion to harvest canes that were left over from last year.The workers downed tools, demanding that they be paid $1,000 for one bed of cane.“Workers from Albion working at Albion not striking yet Rose Hall workers are striking,” a senior supervisor complained yesterday.This demand by the group of workers has already resulted in the loss of 5,Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys,165 man-days in the strike alone in terms of opportunity days for harvesting,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, the newspaper was told.Sugar production for the week to date is 1,311tonnes with Albion and LBI Factories grinding while Uitvlugt is not grinding because of no canes.As of yesterday, there were more than 220 harvesters from Wales working at the Uitvlugt estate with 169 harvesters from Skeldon harvesting at Albion today. Some 235 harvesters from Enmore are also working at the LBI estate.Rose Hall and Blairmont estates are to commence their crop during this week.Meanwhile, GuySuCo officials yesterday confirmed that there are numerous vacancies for tractor operators at the Skeldon estate while the East Demerara estates,Cheap NBA Store, Enmore and LBI,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, are reporting openings for harvesters, spray hands, Bell Loader operators and planters, among others.Last week, an estimated 800 workers from Wales who were harvesting canes at Uitvlugt, took strike action demanding benefits’ pay. The workers returned after one day after GuySuCo promised to make payments by this week.The industry, faced with its lowest production in almost two decades in 2010 as well as a massive loss to revenues due to lower world prices, were forced to carry forward over 400,000 tonnes of canes to this year.A plan to have workers operate through the holidays was shelved because of low turnout, which averaged over 52% last year, another low for the industry.While the traditional first crop for sugar would commence in February,Cheap China Jerseys, GuySuCo had decided to start early with canes on the ground and industry in sore need of cash from its exported sugar.However, the strikes, which totaled over 250 last year alone, are continuing. |
