Wales Sugar Estate laid-off workers & families matter

Dear Editor,

I want to remind President Ali, Prime Minister Mark Phillips, the Minister of Agriculture, and the Minister of Labour that the majority of the Wales Sugar Estate laid-off workers are landless agricultural workers.

They have applied for land, five to 10 acres each, to engage in farming, chicken and animal rearing, skill training, etc, but have not received any reply, not even an acknowledgement of their letters and petitions.

Many of these hard-working sugar workers have worked with Wales Sugar Estate and Guysuco for many, many years and are feeling neglected and forgotten, especially by the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Agriculture, and GAWU and NAACIE Union.

Editor, it was reported that President Ali said recently in Region Six, “Poverty reduction is not only about reducing the cost of things.”^[1] He said, “It is about investing in you so you can own things: your businesses, your homes, and properties that are increasing in value and have access to the best infrastructure, water, education, and healthcare.” It is also reported that the president stated that his Government’s development approach does not provide temporary relief. Instead, the PPP/C focuses on transforming livelihoods, strengthening communities, and ensuring future generations can live with dignity.

This announcement sounds great, but it appears that the ministers, especially from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Labour, are not listening or do not understand what President Ali is saying and wants to do for the Guyanese people.

Isn’t the Wales Sugar Estate laid-off workers, their families, and livelihood matters too?

Editor, the Wales Sugar Workers Committee Representatives and the majority of the workers feel that President Ali, Prime Minister Mark Phillips, and the PPP-C-led Guyanese Government should urgently consider giving some of the idle sugarcane land of the Wales Sugar Estate to them and the landless peasant farmers, including the Belle Vue Pilot Scheme landless farmers, who have requested land for agriculture, chicken and animal rearing, etc, so that these workers can start to be owners, own businesses, and own the means of production.

Editor, it was reported that based on the Wales Estate land survey plan, this closed-down Wales Sugar Estate has over 9000 acres of idle and abandoned sugar cane land. It was also reported that the proposed Wales Gas Project & Gas Power Generating Plant^[2], situated in the Marias Lodge-Free & Easy village area on the West Bank of Demerara, Region Three, will only be using approximately 100 acres of that idle sugarcane land for this Gas Project and Gas Generation Plant.

It was additionally reported that during the last National and Regional Election campaign, Minister Zulfikar Mustapha went to Vreezeland-Vive Laforce village and promised to give a group of squatters, including non-sugar workers, 200 acres from the Wales Sugar Estate cane land for pasture in the Potosi North section. Editor, it is reported that some of these squatters have already received over 500 acres of land from the Guyana Government in the Red Wing Polder, Kamuni area.

Also, in 2026, it is reported that the Guyana Ministry of Housing is in the process of using some of this idle cane land in the Vreezeland-Vive Laforce area for a housing development project, with thousands of house lots not too far from the proposed gas plant and gas generating plant.

We want President Ali and the Guyanese people to know that since 2023, the laid-off Wales Estate Sugar Workers have followed his public advice and organised the workers into a group. They elected a Workers-Farmers’ Committee, made up of these Wales Estate Sugar Workers: Kris Budhoo, Etwaroo, M. Hercules, Twaheer, J Singh, Mohammed, B Balkarran, S Gendalall, Tyron, and others.

The Workers Committee collected the names and signatures of over 350 to 400 of the laid-off Wales Sugar Estate Workers from Canal #2 Polder, Toevlugt-Patentia District, Vreezeland, Vive Laforce-Patosi village, who want land for farming, chicken and animal rearing, aquaculture, etc. The Workers’ Committee made copies of the list/petition and delivered one copy each to the Office of the President, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Labour, the Office of the Prime Minister, GAWU, and NAACIE.

Editor, it is reported that to date, none of the Workers Committee Representatives or the workers have received a call or reply from the OP, OPM, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Labour, or the two sugar workers’ unions, GAWU and NAACIE leadership.

Editor, these workers and the sugar workers committee want to know from the two sugar workers unions, especially the GAWU president, who is a sitting member of parliament (MP), what actions, if any, he and GAWU are taking to help us, the Wales Estate laid-off sugar workers, acquire some of this land for farming, chicken and animal rearing, financial assistance, skills retraining, etc. Also, how many of the house lots being developed within the Wales Sugar Estate land will be reserved and given to the Wales Estate Sugar Workers who do not own a house lot and have worked with Wales Sugar Estate for five years and over continuously and qualify under the SILWF programme for a subsidised house lot?

Editor, the GAWU and NAACIE leadership must recognise that these landless, laid-off sugar workers were GAWU and NAACIE union members and supporters who have made donations and paid union dues through the payroll deduction system to GAWU and NAACIE for many years and have rights.

Thank you.

References

1. “Model Village” concept to be implemented in every community – Pres Ali assures - Guyana Times — guyanatimesgy.com ↩
2. Press Release: Wales Gas-to-Energy project advancing rapidly – Department of Public Information, Guyana — dpi.gov.gy ↩