Gya: Sugar workers protest EU today

The stage is set for this afternoon's picketing of the European Union's (EU) office on Brickdam by a contingent of sugar workers backed by their unions and the Guyana Sugar Corporation.

The protest will commence shortly after 1 pm and will run for about an hour.

The demonstrators will be urging the EU to rethink its proposals to cut prices paid for sugar imported from Guyana and other developing countries. The proposals are to be discussed at a council meeting today in Brussels, Belgium.

EU Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler declared last week that the proposals need to be implemented now.

His proposal will see sugar prices dropping by 20% next year and down by 33% in 2007.

This could cost Guysuco US$200 per tonne of sugar, which on an export base of 167,000 tonnes would be equivalent to US$33M a year.