Workers mobilise to protest government closure of sugar estate

Peaceful Assembly

In April and May 2017, labourers at the Rose Hall Sugar Estate participated in a series of protest marches following the government's announcement to halt operations and close the company. The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) organised and supported the demonstration, which drew thousands, as the protesters were also "joined by housewives, business persons, students and pensioners" who marched in solidarity. GAWU encouraged the workers' protest actions stating that the company's closure “would take a heavy toll on many communities" as it employs more than 2,400 individuals who rely on the sugar industry as a source of income. Similar such union-supported protests took place in March 2017 over the potential closure of two other sugar estates, which would affect thousands of workers and leave communities desolate.