Ramesh tells Manning to give former sugar workers a fair deal

Tabaquite MP Ramesh L. Maharaj has written to Prime Minister Patrick Manning to draw attention to what he says is a number of "injustices" that are being experienced by former sugar workers and cane farmers.

The letter touches on three specific issues. The first is land.

The letter states that the government has failed to hand out deeds for residential and agricultural lands for the former Caroni (1975) Limited despite a binding agreement to do so and a court order.

The lands were promised to the workers as part of a separation package when the the Manning government closed the state-owned sugar company shortly after taking office in 2002.

Maharaj said six years have elapsed since the promise was made by the government for the workers to get these agricultural lands.

"This was their alternative source of income which they were to have in order for them to pay their mortgage loans for their homes, most of which are mortgaged to the Sugar Industry and Labour Welfare Committee," he said.

He told Manning the government ought to write off these loans since former sugar workers were denied for six years their right to get any alternative source of income from the agricultural land.

"The sugar workers were in any event expected to pay those loans from their incomes earned from the land," he said.

The former attorney general also raised concerns over pensions. Maharaj noted that as part of the separation package the government made a commitment to fund any pension deficit. So far, he said, this has not been done.

He has asked Manning to state a time frame for the payment and asked for a response within 10 days.

Maharaj noted that the workers pension just $650.00 per month but the government can find the deficit and make it at least $2000.00 per month.

"You would recall that the government and Caroni took out the monies from the Pension Fund of the workers to pay for everyday expenses of the Company," he reminded Manning.

A third issue is a grant from the European Union of approximately TT$350 million in support of a national strategy in the aftermath of the closure of the sugar company.

He pointed out that these monies are to be used for the benefit of former sugar workers and cane farmers following their dislocation in the industry.

The government is contending that those monies are not to be given to the former sugar workers and cane farmers but instead are to be kept by the government to be used for its benefit.

Last month, Housing, Planning and the Environment Minister, Emily Dick-Forde presented Government’s plans for the EU allocation saying that the money was not to be provided to any specific group but was to form part of sectoral support in the national budget.

Maharaj disagrees with that and wants Manning give specific information on how the money was used and to show that the government whether it used the funds for the benefit of former sugar workers and cane farmers.