Private cane farmers have sounded the alarm that Barbados’ centuries-old sugar industry could collapse if the 2026 harvest does not resume as scheduled on Friday, amid a fresh dispute between factory management and the Unity Workers Union (UWU).
The stark warning was issued on Thursday by Chairman of the Barbados Sugar Industry Limited (BSIL), Mark Sealy, following a threat by the UWU to call out its members at the island’s lone sugar mill, Portvale, this weekend if workers are placed on a shift system.
UWU General Secretary Caswell Franklyn insists that Portvale falls under the Shops Act and must operate like a retail store without shift work. But the cooperative Barbados Energy and Sugar Company (BESCO) that manages the factory, contends that it functions as a factory under the Safety and Health at Work Act (SHAW) proclaimed in 2013.
On Wednesday, Minister of Agriculture Dr Shantal Munroe-Knight announced that grinding had resumed at the factory using the canes that had been delivered before UWU workers went on strike to protest against working conditions, pay, and BESCO’s refusal to recognise the union as the main bargaining body.
But the BSIL, which supplies 65 per cent of the sugar cane to Portvale each year, warned that any further delay in reaping the canes already eroding in the fields could force small farmers out of business and seriously compromise the factory’s ability to meet its annual quota, resulting in the industry’s collapse.
In an exclusive interview, Sealy told Barbados TODAY: “People need to understand now that this is crunch time. This is now April 9, and we have hardly harvested any cane. We can’t continue with that; and timing is of the essence. We have been trying to sustain the sugar industry for quite some time now. The factory needs 2 000 tonnes per day. If we have any other drop out of any other farmers or marginal farmers, it will be very difficult to recover from that, because even the larger farmers will not be able to deliver 2 000 tonnes of cane to the factory per day.
“If you were not to have a crop harvested this year due to this stuff, it is possible that marginal farmers who just don’t have the resources, the cash flow etcetera, may have to drop out, and we may not be able to recover from it.”
Sealy contended that there is a limited window of time within which the cane must be reaped before the wet weather sets in around June. He explained that if the fields become saturated, they cannot be cultivated.
“So, timing is of essence in farming; and these delays, and saying that a factory [is a shop], you know, anybody can see that a factory is a factory. The factory falls under the SHAW Act; and Mr Franklyn is saying it falls under the Shops Act, which is retail. We need to get the whole thing sorted out because we can’t afford any more delays.”
On the contentious issue of union recognition, the BSIL chairman backed the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) as the workers’ legitimate bargaining body.
He said: “For the past eight years and even before I was chairman of BSIL, we have been sitting down in negotiations with the BWU and BAMC, which is now BESCO, and going through the issues with mutual respect….”
He added: “The best time to start the crop is February 15. Already the delay to the sugar harvest has led to inferior quality cane with consequent reductions in both sugar quality and tonnage. Any further delay will negatively impact the benefits derived from the sugar industry and may contribute to the collapse of the industry. We urge all parties to swiftly move ahead so that the 2026 crop can be harvested to the benefit of all workers, the public, and the Barbados economy.”
(EJ)
