Erica James-King, Senior Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
FORMER WORKERS of the rice milling entity, Grains Jamaica took protest action on Saturday, demanding that Prime Minister P.J. Patterson intervene in an impasse with the company's management over the payment of money owing to them.
The placard-bearing former employees converged at the entrance to the company at the Montego Bay Freeport, using debris, drums and old tyres to block passage to the company. The protesting workers told The Gleaner that since some of them were laid-off in two batches in January and May, this year, they have neither received severance pay nor retroactive increase in wages that were owed to them.
The disgruntled workers also complained that the management has not met with them since they lost their jobs to inform them when they would get the money or to say what would be the future of the company.
"We need the Government to intervene and say something to the workers. We can't send our children to school. Right now many of us have school book list put down and don't know where to find the money for our children back to school expenses," complained Stanford McIntosh, former worker and BITU
delegate.
An agitated Mr. McIntosh shouted half-haltingly, "we tired of being ignored by the management of Grains Jamaica and the Government. Mr. Prime Minister, please intervene and end
our suffering."
The anger of the workers was exacerbated by the fact that a public auction notice on machines and furniture belonging to Grains Jamaica was advertised, but nothing was said about the welfare of the workers.
"We hear sey them fi auction the company things today, but we come fi chain up the gate. No auction a gwan here 'til wi get wi money. So we block the gate with old things. No money fi wi, no auction," said Delroy Walker.
Another protester, Dennis Duncan, who has worked with the company for 17 years, chimed in: "We want our redundancy money now. The Bustamante Industrial Trade Union tell us the Government is going to revive the company and yet all of a sudden we hear them auctioning the company property. What really going on?" he asked.
The workers said they were calling on the union to play a more vibrant role in championing their demands.
When The Gleaner visited the company, no management personnel was seen on the building. Repeated attempts to reach the management of the company and the bailiff, Daniel Robinson, were unsuccessful.
Notice of the public auction was given in an advertisement last Sunday. It said the auction would be held at the company on Saturday, September 14. Items listed for auction included three fork lifts, motor cars and trucks, office furniture, and a complete rice milling machine and accessories inclusive of electrical parts, tanks, elevator and crane.
The company closed it doors in May, this year, citing financial problems. In August, the Trade Board won a $210 million judgement in the Supreme Court against Grains Jamaica over the milling company's failure to hand over proceeds from American food aid rice that it processed on behalf of the Government.
Grains Jamaica, during the 1999/2000 fiscal year, had milled an estimated 13,000 tonnes of rice under the programme and the earnings should have gone to the Food Tree Crop Programme of the Ministry of Agriculture. The Trade Board took legal action against Grains Jamaica when it failed to follow the negotiated commitments for payment.
Just two weeks ago, Audley Shaw, Deputy Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), called on Industry, Commerce and Technology Minister, Phillip Paulwell, to tell the nation what was the level of losses incurred under the Government's PL480 programme.
