WORKER'S PARTY OF JAMAICA EFFORTS TO ORGANIZE SUGAR WORKERS AND TO PROVOKE A CONFRONTATION BETWEEN WORKERS AND THE STATE-OPERATED SUGAR CORPORATION

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06769157
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: March 8, 2023
• Document Release Date: July 25, 2019
• Case Number: F-2017-01652
• Publication Date: January 9, 1985

Approved for Release: 2019/07/10 C06769157
F) SUBJECT: WORKER'S PARTY OF JAMAICA
EFFORTS TO ORGANIZE SUGAR WORKERS AND TO PROVOKE
A CONFRONTATION BETWEEN WORKERS AND THE STATE-
OPERATED SUGAR CORPORATION
Identifiers:
Document Number:
GUIDE: guide://1012/28z1b6
Dates:
Date Published: 09-Jan-1985 17:25:00
Date Received: 09,-Jan-1985 21:25:00
Coverage:
Region: COUNTRY: JAMAICA
Publisher:
#1
Agency Acronym: CIA
Office Name: CIA
#2
Agency Acronym: CIA
Office Name: NCS
Attachments:
46122117.orig
Warnings: NF) WARNING: INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY
TELLIGENCE. REPORT CLASS_S-E-C-IrETIWNINTEL-NOFORN--
DIST: 09 JANUARY 1985 COUNTRY: JAMAICA SUBJECT: WORKER'S PARTY
OF JAMAICA EFFORTS TO ORGANIZE SUGAR WORKERS AND TO PROVOKE A
CONFRONTATION BETWEEN WORKERS AND THE STATE-OPERATED SUGAR
CORPORATION
NF) SERIAL:
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WARNING: INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.
REPORT CLASSJ_E-C-R-E-r-WNINTEL--NOFORN
DIST: 09 JANUARY 1985
M-CRET
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COUNTRY: JAMAICA
SUBJECT: WORKER'S PARTY OF JAMAICA EFFORTS TO ORGANIZE
SUGAR WORKERS AND TO PROVOKE A CONFRONTATION
BETWEEN WORKERS AND THE STATE-OPERATED SUGAR
CORPORATION
TEXT: 1.
ACTIVISTS OF THE COMMUNIST WORKER'S PARTY OF JAMAICA
(WPJ) WERE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN A CAMPAIGN TO ORGANIZE
SUGAR FIELD AND REFINERY WORKERS AND TO PROVOKE A NATION-
WIDE CONFRONTATION BETWEEN SUGAR WORKERS AND THE STATE-
OPERATED SUGAR CORPORATION. \
\ IN LATE 1984 WPJ CENTRAL
COMMITTEE MEMBER AND PRESIDENT OF THE WPJ-AFFILIATED
UNIVERSITY AND ALLIED WORKERS UNION (UAWU) LAMBERT
((BROWN)) TRAVELLED TO HANOVER WITH SEVERAL WPJ ACTIVISTS
TO ORGANIZE PARTY CELLS AND TO RECRUIT LOCAL SUGAR
WORKERS INTO THE WPJ AND UAWU. FOLLOWING A PERIOD OF
INDOCTRINATION, THE LOCAL RECRUITS WERE INSTRUCTED TO
BEGIN ORGANIZING SUGAR CANE CUTTERS AND REFINERY FACTORY
WORKERS INTO POLITICAL GROUPS TO PROTEST WAGE AND EMPLOYMENT
POLICIES OF THE STATE-RUN SUGAR CORPORATION. THE LOCAL
ORGANIZERS WERE ALSO PROVIDED WPJ-SPONSORED HANDBILLS
AND NEWSLETTERS DECRYING THE PLIGHT OF THE SUGAR WORKER
IN AN ATTEMPT TO GENERATE SUPPORT FOR A HALT TO THE WINTER
SUGAR CANE HARVEST PENDING GOVERNMENT WAGE AND EMPLOYMENT
CONCESSIONS.
2. SIMILAR EFFORTS WERE UNDERTAKEN BY WPJ ACTIVISTS
IN OTHER SUGAR-PRODUCING PARISHES, INCLUDING ST. JAMES,
TRELAWNY, AND ST. THOMAS. IN TRELAWNY, WPJ PERSONNEL
SUCCESSFULLY RECRUITED THE LOCAL NATIONAL WORKERS'
UNION (NWU) CHIEF DELEGATE FOR THE SUGAR INDUSTRY,
PERSUADING HIM TO AGREE TO ORGANIZE WORKERS ON BEHALF OF
THE UAWU AND WPJ.
3. ON 3 DECEMBER THE UAWU SUBMITTED A LETTER TO
THE MINISTRY OF LABOR CLAIMING THAT SUGAR WORKERS WERE
NOT BEING ADEQUATELY REPRESENTED BY THE NWU AND THE
BUSTAMENTE INDUSTRIAL TRADE UNION (BITU), THE TWO UNIONS
DESIGNATED BY THE GOVERNMENT TO REPRESENT LABOR IN THE
SUGAR INDUSTRY. THE LETTER REQUESTED THE MINISTRY TO
DESIGNATE THE UAWU AS OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR LABOR
ON SEVERAL SUGAR ESTATES. THE LIFTER WAS ACCOMPANIED BY
A PETITION, SIGNED BY SEVERAL HUNDRED SUGAR WORKERS,
REQUESTING THAT THE UAWU REPRESENT THEIR INTERESTS IN
DEALINGS WITH MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES.
ON 27 DECEMBER, THE WPJ FORWARDED COPIES OF THE LETTER
TO SELECTED JOURNALISTS WITH A NOTE EXPLAINING THAT THE
MINISTRY OF LABOR HAD NOT SEEN FIT TO REPLY TO THE UAWU'S
REQUEST AND REQUESTING NEWS COVERAGE OF THE ISSUE.
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COMMENT: THE NOTE DID NOT, HOWEVER, RECORD THE FACT THAT
BIDS FOR REPRESENTATION OF SUGAR WORKERS HAD BEEN
CLOSED SINCE OCTOBER 1984 NOR DID IT REPORT THAT A PREVIOUS
UAWU BID TO OBTAIN REPRESENTATIONAL RIGHTS FOR SUGAR
WORKERS WAS DENIED BY THE GOVERNMENT IN 1980.)
4 COMMENT:
THE WPJ AND ITS AFFILIATED UAWU HAVE UNDERTAKEN A COORDINATED,
AND HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN TO INSTIGATE A MAJOR
CONFRONTATION BETWEEN SUGAR WORKERS AND THE GOVERNMENT-
RUN SUGAR ESTATES. NWU AND BITU DELEGATES AND UNION
REPRESENTATIVES ARE BEING INCREASINGLY REPUDIATED BY
SUGAR WORKERS, WHO CLAIM THAT THE UNIONS ARE NOT EFFECTIVELY
REPRESENTING WORKERS' INTERESTS TO MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNMENT
AUTHORITIES. EXPRESSED
THEIR DOUBTS THAT THEIR UNIONS WOULD BE ABLE TO REGAIN
CONTROL OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY WORKERS AND SAID THAT THEY
FEARED A WPJ-INSTIGATED CONFRONTATION IN THE SUGAR INDUSTRY
IN EARLY 1985.)
WARNING: REPORT CLASS_S_E-C-R-ET--WARNING NOTICE--
INTELLIGENCE SOURCES OR METHODS INVOLVED--NOT RFIFASARI F TI)
FOREIGN NATIONALS.
Collection: CC
Description,:
Language: eng
NF) None
Precedence: R
Source:
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