Portvale harvest back on track after union dispute

Grinding has resumed at the Portvale Sugar Factory after a stalemate, just a day after a delayed start to the 2026 sugar harvest last month.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Minister of Agriculture Dr Shantal Munro-Knight confirmed that grinding has begun and mill workers have returned following a three-day strike over union recognition and working conditions, which disrupted the second day of the already-delayed harvest.

She told journalists: “We’re still grinding, and we will continue to be able to move forward with the operations as best as we can. We understand that there is concern in terms of both the short term and the long term outlook for where we go as a country with sugarcane and its production.”

She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to workers’ welfare and the success of the 2026 crop. “We are committed to delivering, from this point where we have started, as much as possible, a successful crop.”

The government had not ignored complaints raised by workers, she said, adding that BESCO, the plant’s cooperative-run operator, was working to address legitimate concerns, particularly in relation to working conditions.

“We have not been tone deaf to the concerns that have been raised and the issues that we have heard that have been coming forward. BESCO has been working assiduously and continues to do so to make sure that we can address those issues that are legitimate and that have been brought to our attention.

“We will continue to make sure that we have a listening ear to those concerns that are brought through the appropriate channels with the bargaining agent that we are currently engaged with.”

Dr Munro-Knight said both the government and the private operator have been working to improve working conditions for employees.

“All of the things that have been raised, in terms of, some of the working conditions, etc., the company has moved and has assured me that there is a clear record that we have attempted to be able to respond to those reasonable requests as best as we can.”

She added that she has been pressing management to ensure continued engagement and responsiveness to workers’ concerns.

“As minister I have pressed them for the continued reassurance that they will address those issues on an ongoing basis, that they will continue to make sure that they bring those concerns of legitimate concerns of the workers to the table and to be able to work with the legitimate bargaining agent of the workers to make sure that we can continue in a way that is amenable for everybody.”

At the same time, she reiterated that Portvale operates as a factory under the Safety and Health at Work Act, and not as a retail “shop”, stressing that all operations are governed by established industrial regulations.

“Portvale is a factory. It is governed by the Safety and Health at Work SHAW Act, which replaces the old Factories Act. It is a factory and therefore we operate within the confines of that act; all of the actions that are taken are within the confines of that act.

“In so doing again, it ensures then that we make sure, as I keep saying, that we have the workers’ interests at heart.”

When asked about claims by the Unity Workers Union’s General Secretary that 50 workers had joined the union and were seeking recognition, the chairman of the state-owned Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC), Ambassador Clyde Mascoll, responded: “We know that the Barbados Workers Union has been that agent that we have been negotiating with until it changes. You cannot derecognise a union. That’s the law.”

(LG)