Ensuring Better Leaders – supporting sugar workers in Guyana

Ensuring Better Leaders - supporting sugar workers in Guyana

'Prior to the training, I felt that, as a female supervisory staffer, I was inferior. I am aware that women sugar workers are not recog­nized equally with their counterparts. How­ever, with the knowledge I have acquired, I feel I can change this phenomenon.'

The sugar industry is fundamental to the economy of Guyana, on the north coast of South America, and in recent months, GMB London, working with the International Union of Food Workers has been supporting the two main agricultural unions (the Guyana Agricultural and General Work­ers Union (GAWU) and the National As­sociation of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE)) to build capacity amongst the unions' workplace representatives. The project is funded by the TUC.

So far, 170 mem­bers from GAWU and NAACIE have attended the first round of courses which have given intensive training on existing Guyanese labour law. Work has now shifted to the second phase of the project, which will see further courses being held to give more in-depth training on the various pieces of legislation, as well as discussing the issues identified by the participants between the first and the second courses when they had returned to their workplaces and tried to use the new knowledge.

The returning participants noted that, following their return to their re­spective estates at the end of the first course that they were better able to represent workers' issues, as in griev­ance cases and health and safety issues, therefore improving their conditions of work, and, by extension, assisting to sta­bilise the climate of industrial relations in the sugar sector. They also noted that they shared what they learnt with their fellow workers.

Uranie Heeram is a field forewom­an in a weeding gang on a sugar estate, a shop steward and a member of GAWU's Gen­eral Council. She explains how the training worked and the impacts it has had on her:

'My training lasted for ten days and it has given me useful and relevant trade un­ion education. The training has widened my knowledge on five important pieces of labour-related legislation and it has helped me to be aware of legal rights to benefit workers. As a shop steward, I am more knowledgeable and better able to represent my colleagues' disputes through dialogue with management, and interaction with my superiors.'

'Prior to the training, I felt that, as a female supervisory staffer, I was inferior. I am aware that women sugar workers are not recog­nized equally with their counterparts. How­ever, with the knowledge I have acquired, I feel I can change this phenomenon. For instance, I recently conducted sessions on gender issues at two one-day workshops at the Wales and Albion sugar estates. It was a good experience for me, as a worker and un­ion grass-roots member, to interact with my fellow workers in the workshops.'

The workshop that Uranie co-facilitated focussed on health and safety, the use of electronic com­munication, gender issues, and HIV/AIDS in the workplace. According to GAWU, the facilitation of the workshops by participants repre­sents a major milestone for the project and enhances the capacity of the unions to educate their members. Work is also underway to have similar workshops conducted at other estates.

The project is already having a tangible impact on the lives of sugar workers. Nine workers were recently fired at a mill but were reinstated when the shop steward used his recently acquired knowledge of the law to put together a case to support them.

The project is encouraging shop stewards to use their mobile phones to keep in touch with union HQs and to text information about specific cases and the progress being made. This is useful technology for low-income workers in rural areas without access to computers, the internet and landlines.

Meanwhile, Analisa Chand is a jun­ior book-keeper in the wages section of the finance department of Albion Estate and also a NAACIE shop steward and she explains more about her work environment and the impacts of the training:

'Before I accepted the position of shop stew­ard, I felt that the work environment was not productive. When some senior staff ad­dressed junior employees, there was some tension, as the latter felt a lot of pressure from their superiors.'

'In some instances, when the junior staff at­tempted to explain the situation or impasse by explaining the events which occurred the matter would be referred to the Depart­ment's supervisor or, in some cases, the Finance Manager, in a process that tended to cut dialogue and would end in a repri­mand for the junior staff. In some cases, it happened that the supervisors would say to the junior staff that they should not respond to the senior staff, even if senior staff were wrong.'

'It got to the point where some junior staff felt very uncomfortable at the workplace; they felt very stressed, and some complained of physical pains as a result of it.'

'One day, I tried to talk to a senior staff about the tension in the work environment, but only to hear that they did not have time to discuss anything. For me, that moment was a turning point. I decided to make a posi­tive change for myself and fellow workers. I was subsequently elected as the shop stew­ard, even though I had previously declined the position because I felt that I was not fully equipped to handle workers' problems and disputes. In the light of the poor work environ­ment, I decided to take up the task, despite my limited knowledge of union matters.'

'In June 2010, I was selected by my union to attend a one-week union training seminar sponsored by GAWU/NAACIE and the GMB. I immediately ac­cepted the offer, since I recognized that the training would provide me a real opportunity to garner knowledge in industrial relations. I had attended seminars in the past as a union member, but I had never attended a seminar where labour laws had been explained.'

'The training I received was simple and was well presented by the various tutors, and it served to develop my knowledge.'

'I feel I am making in my workplace posi­tive changes which are beneficial to my col­leagues and management. One of the new approaches which have been adopted is a monthly meeting with the Finance Manager, Assistant Finance Manager, the supervisor, the two senior bookkeepers and myself, to discuss issues and problems that my fellow workers may have encountered. This devel­opment is very positive and can benefit 30 people. For the first time in my 13-year stint with GuySuCo (the Guyana Sugar Corporation) the junior staff in the Finance Department are being recognized and respected.'

Uranie sums up her feelings about the project and the impacts it has had: 'I wish to express my appreciation to all those who made the GAWU/NAACIE/GMB project a reality. The project has taught me and other colleagues across the industry to be better workers and better union activists and shop stewards.'