Members of the Joint Negotiating Panel (JNP) are calling on the government to release the World Bank (WB) report on sugar industry reform. They say that time is running out and that the sugar industry bosses are applying conditions of service that do not correspond to their aspirations.
Meeting the press on Monday, Lall Deonath, President of the Artisans and General Workers Union (AGWU), said he is right in believing that this report is against the interest of the workers. “Why not have a roundtable discussion around this report,” he wondered. He said that the farmers and artisans feel neglected by the government when they voted for the current regime.
He also does not appreciate the posture adopted by the Opposition regarding their fate. No one in the Opposition is interested in the fate of the sugar industry workers. “They are more interested in how to regain power,” he said.
Health protocol loosened
For his part, Ashok Subron, the JNP spokesman, suggested that the government is not interested in the health protocol practiced by the companies. He described this as a ‘criminal lapse’ on the part of the government. He wants a meeting with the Minister of Health, Kailesh Jagutpal, to discuss the situation in the country’s companies. He was also expected to state that an awareness campaign will be conducted among the workers on the ground to get them ready for nationwide industrial action in the coming days.
Devandand Ramjuttun, spokesperson for the Sugar Industry Labourers Union said that the industry unions decided to meet the press on the eve of the Finance Bill because the situation is worrying as changes will be made to the Workers’ Rights Act but they are not in favor of the workers.
