Blairmont estate factory workers strike for payment over lost workdays during 2025 first crop
Scores of factory workers at the Blairmont Sugar Estate in West Bank Berbice, Region Five, have gone on strike, demanding compensation for days they were unable to work during the first crop of 2025.
The strike began on Monday and is expected to continue throughout the coming week. In an interview with reporters on Thursday, factory worker Fazil Subhan explained that the strike was organised because the workers feel they are being treated unfairly.
“The other Estate them had compensation when they had a rough crop and they had problem that them Estate. Now Blairmont, we are getting we own challenges and problems and so but we never strike. Them other Estate them ah strike and get compensation. The main reason why we are out here we are asking the Government if they can compensate us for the first crop of 2025. One of the reasons is because back dam people them when they are working they are getting incentive, more them work more money they are getting as incentives. Now, we as time workers at the factory, we not getting no incentive. Our main incentive what we are getting is that we gotto work seven days per week. And we gotto work we Saturday and Sunday that does push up we money. Now this last crop that finished we had plenty rainfall the canes were not coming into the factory how it normally use to come.
So what happened we only getting work for four and five days per week. Now, we not getting nothing like incentive so we can go and work back within that five days to make back we money what we normally make during the week. As we are out here, we are asking the Government if they can give us a compensation towards what happened in the first crop that gone. Because it is not fair that Albion Estate, the cane cutters them refused to cut and load cane for the first crop and Blairmont Estate are the only cane cutters them who cut and load just to keep the factory grinding and see how much sugar we can make. And Albion getting something and Blairmont nah get nothing,” he revealed.
Another worker, Ganesh Persaud, added that they were not allowed to work on weekends due to weather conditions.
“What we understand is that Albion Estate workers are receiving a $100,000 package because their crop was disrupted, but we had similar issues here and did not get any compensation. We want to appeal to the President to look into our grievances and understand that we have families to support. When we don’t work on Saturdays and Sundays, our income decreases, and this is effectively taking jobs away from us. So, on behalf of all factory workers, we are asking for a compensation package,” he asserted.
Other workers also raised concerns about the need for salary increases and called for government intervention to address their demands.
Only recently, President Dr. Irfaan Ali promised to “make sugar great again!” and build a prosperous Guyana where “no one is left behind.”
The Head of State declared a future of “crop diversification, skills diversification, income diversification,” with plans to co-invest with workers in new economic activities, creating “tens of thousands of new jobs.”
