… surprise
And here your Eyewitness thought, after Pressie had announced those raises to public servants, that Father Christmas only showed up in “town”!! He used to trek with his momma once a year to window shop there in the Christmas season, and if perchance the fat guy sweating away in the red suit and white beard at Bookers Stores was around, he’d get a chance to glimpse him. Not sitting on the possibly paedophile’s lap and receiving a present, mind you – that cost money; a glimpse was all he got!!
Anyhow, your Eyewitness was pleased that Pressie’s being an equal-opportunity Father Christmas when he read that sugar workers also received raises; “wage”, not salary –which is for those who don’t go out into the sun, or get their hands dirty!! Sugar workers – by definition rural – in all categories were covered, and field and factory workers got 10% for 2024, 8% for 2025, and 9% for 2026. As with the public servants, the 2024 increase was “retro”, and with their wage now being a minimum of $100,000 monthly, this should amount to a very nice top-up!!
But is it enough?? For years, the absenteeism in the sugar industry was a problem, and with the economy now booming as the “fastest growing in the world”, this gonna only get worse – sooner, rather than later. While it may appear counterintuitive to suggest more massive increases in sugar workers’ wages when the industry’s bleeding red ink, this is strategically necessary, so we don’t keep pouring money down a black hole!! Let’s face it – we’re running a “free market” economy, and we have to listen to the market and follow its demands. Right now, the labour market says loudly and clearly that it’ll take mo’ money to get workers into those cane fields!!
Your Eyewitness also wondered whether they’ll receive their traditional API — Annual Production Incentive — which God knows they need, with production being abysmally low!! The report said the increases also applied to “piece-rated and time-rated workers”, which left your Eyewitness puzzled. This category includes the famous “cane cutters” – no, “cane harvesters”, for your Eyewitness, thank you…too genteel!! – who’s paid by the number of tons of cane they “cut and load”. Will the increase apply to the per unit tons??
Anyhow, the Father Christmas syndrome will now infect everyone in the private sector – especially those shopgirls working for a pittance in the shops in the towns and villages across our now fair land. This is especially applicable to Chinese supermarkets and hardware stores, where the poor workers have to also be translators. Shouldn’t they be paid separately for providing this service??
Now, some might say these increases in wages would lead to increased spending and inflation. But we’ll breathe easier!!
…free skies
Hardly a week passes without us having another airline announcing us as a destination. The latest is the Colombian airline Avianca, which gonna be coming in three times weekly with an Airbus A320. Now, your Eyewitness knows some smart Alec’s gonna say we’ve been having flights from Colombia for quite some time now – transport that cocoa-based product that’s so much in demand up North!! But those flights were under the radar, and, as far as we know, didn’t transport live bodies as Avianca would – bodies interested in wider economic opportunities than their predecessors.
But while most Guyanese are enthusiastic that they can now hop onto a plane from CJIA and see the world without too much hassle, we gotta remind ourselves about those who will be COMING IN – like the Colombians mentioned above. In the not-too-distant future, they’re gonna outnumber us!! That’s right!! So, while we argue about who’ll win in 2025 – we better keep an eye on 2030!!
…revenge
Back in the day, Saul got enlightenment on the way to Damascus – and became Paul, a name more acceptable to the Gentiles. Did you notice that, on his way to Damascus, ISIS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani is now suit-wearing Ahmed al-Sharaa??
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