Sugar workers voice alarm over equipment failures, ‘broken promises’

Union leaders have accused the cooperative now running the island’s lone sugar mill of strong-arm tactics after the company ordered factory staff to return revised employment contracts by Monday, despite ongoing disputes over pay, hours and representation.

The Sugar Industries Staff Association (SISA) has charged that the Barbados Energy and Sugar Company Ltd (BESCO) is further escalating tensions within the already embattled sugar industry.

The development is the latest amid growing labour unease as the sugar industry undergoes a troubled transition from the state-owned Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC) to the new BESCO entity, part of a broader divestment plan involving parent Co-op Energy.

A BESCO internal memo dated last Thursday, and seen by Barbados TODAY, was addressed to “all monthly employees” under the subject ‘Reminder: Submission of Revised Employment Contracts’. The memo instructed workers to return the revised contracts “regardless of whether [they are] signed or unsigned”.

The memo sparked an immediate backlash from the union, which said the directive was issued without resolving outstanding concerns about job terms, working hours and labour representation.

The following day, in a letter also obtained by Barbados TODAY, a SISA official wrote to BESCO, expressing “shock and disgust” over the ultimatum.

The official charged that management had failed to follow through on its promise, made at a meeting on January 7, to hold further discussions with the union before finalising the new agreements.

“To date, apart from this direct and dismissive memorandum… there has been no communication about the concerns of the workers,” the letter stated. “They seem to be in a haste to have contracts signed without due process.”

When contacted, SISA president Dwight Miller confirmed awareness of the letter but declined to comment on the union’s position, stating he had not yet met with members to form a collective response.

“I’m very surprised that you gave me the call at this point in time,” Miller told Barbados TODAY.

“I’m aware of the letter — it came from us — but I want to make a unified response and not just my feeling. I want it to be a collective feeling as the position of SISA,” he added when pressed for a response to the memo.

Workers at Portvale Sugar Factory have raised serious concerns in recent weeks about malfunctioning equipment, poor communication from management, and uncertainty over their promised 20 per cent ownership stake under the new structure.

Many said they initially received contracts mirroring their previous BAMC terms, only to be issued a revised version later — cutting working hours from 56 to 40 per week — without prior explanation or negotiation.

An industry source with knowledge of the issue told Barbados TODAY that the lack of engagement, coupled with technical failures and a shortage of skilled staff, has left morale at an all-time low.

The source also questioned the absence of visible leadership from BESCO, suggesting the previous BAMC team remains in place despite the rebranding.

Minister of Agriculture Indar Weir has downplayed the controversy, denying knowledge of any active labour issues and describing talk of a crisis as exaggerated.

But Co-op Energy head Lieutenant Colonel Trevor Browne has maintained that the government still controls the operation, as the promised transfer to the cooperative has not yet been finalised.

shannamoore@barbadostoday.bb