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St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil L. Douglas addressing sugar workers at the Factory Social Centre on the closure of the industry and the benefits they will get. |
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JULY 28TH 2005 -
Sugar workers who will be severed when the sugar industry closes on July 30th will share a total payout of EC$44 million, thanks to a 1961 Agreement between the St. Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union and the then Sugar Producers Association, forerunner of the St. Kitts Sugar Manufacturing Corporation (SSMC).
St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil L. Douglas in outlining the benefits that will come to the workers as a result of the closure of the industry, told hundreds of sugar workers during a meeting at the Factory Social Centre, that his St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Administration has accepted the 1961 Agreement, which calls for long service workers in the field and factory to be paid severance of 104 weeks instead of the 52 weeks called for in the 1986 Protection of Employment Act passed by the former People's Action Movement Administration.
Prime Minister Douglas said that come August 5th, sugar workers will be paid their wages for the last working week, holiday pay and all bonuses including Dull Season bonus, End of Crop bonus, Incentive Easter bonus and Christmas bonus in one pay packet.
He said in the 104 weeks severance payment will be paid in two installments. The first payment will meet the requirement of 52 weeks in compliance with the 1986 Protection of Employment Act and will be paid during the second week of September.
"But although the Act says it must be paid in 12 weeks or three months, we as a Labour Government will not wait that long and will pay it in 6 weeks," Prime Minister Douglas said.
He said that the additional 52 weeks payment which will meet in full the 104 weeks severance in compliance with the 1961 Agreement will be paid in before December or in December as the St. Kitts-Nevis Anguilla National Bank will not be able to pay the full EC$44 million in six weeks.
"The Bank is saying that it cannot afford to pay more than EC$22 million in six weeks time. The Bank says it does not have it to pay one time, the SSMC has gone bankrupt and cannot pay it, so this Government will because the SSMC cannot pay it has to go to the Bank to borrow it and the Bank has told us that it cannot afford to lend more than US$22 million in six weeks time and will need some more time to get the additional EC$22 million," said Prime Minister Douglas.
Dr. Douglas gave an example of what workers will get as a result of his Labour Government's acceptance of the1961 Agreement, which gave 104 weeks severance compared to the 52 weeks under the 1986 Protection of Employment Act passed by the former Kennedy Simmonds People's Action Movement Administration.
"An ordinary person from Belmont Estate, an ordinary worker or laborer who has worked for more that 30 years in the industry, if we were to follow the PAM Government Act of 1986, would only give you EC$8,000. Today, that person can get EC$26,000 as a result of the 1961 Agreement. Somebody 68 years old and who worked for 36 years also in Belmont, they would have received under the 1986 PAM Act, EC$16,000, but by the Labour Government honouring the Agreement with your Union, that same person, the ordinary worker, will go home with EC$36,000," said Prime Minister Douglas.
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Sugar workers who could get a seat in the Centre listen on the outside. (Photos by Erasmus Williams) |
He said the People's Action Movement came to office in 1980 and in 1986 passed a law to make sugar workers worse off. "Labour came back in office since 1995 and today it is making you better off by accepting the 1961 Agreement."
Prime Minister Douglas noted that when sugar workers retired from the industry after forty and 50 years, "they were sent home with nothing."
"Not even a little thank you, and that has really penetrated our hearts, because we know that you work hard and you worked for little money before Labour took over the industry in 1995. And so we have a lot of people who are still alive who between 1975 and today 2005, have been sent home under retirement without any benefits whatsoever, and we say that now we closing the industry we are going to look after them," said Prime Minister Douglas.
He said all former sugar workers, who retired since 1975 and who went home without any gratuity or pension, will now give get a gratuity when the monies are paid within six weeks time.
"They will also benefit from an industry that they toiled to build and which gave them very little over a period of time," said Prime Minister Douglas, who noted that Seasonal workers, those who were only employed during the reaping or harvesting will also be paid..
"Just like the Guyanese and the Santo Domingo workers, they are seasonal and contract workers and they come here only for a period of time, but they are workers too and they are going to get their money. All workers in the Sugar Industry will benefit from this package," said Prime Minister Douglas.
Dr. Douglas said that sugar workers who do not have a home will get the opportunity to purchase one. "All of you who do not yet have your home, we give a commitment that you will be provided with those homes. Those of you who have an NHC house and are in the industry, a lot of you don't know, but the land on which the house is, you got the land completely free when we build those houses for you," remarked Dr. Douglas.
He noted that since coming to office in 1995, some 400 sugar industry workers or their families have benefited from the "Village Lands Freehold Act," which states that if you or your family have been living on village lands since 1967, you are entitled to get that land free.
