Le Joint Negociating Panel (JNP) a décidé de suspendre sa participation au sein du Mauritius Cane Industry Technical Committee. Dans une lettre adressée au ministre de l’Agro-industrie, Mahen Seeruttun, le JNP, qui représente les intérêts des travailleurs de l’industrie sucrière, dénonce le fonctionnement de cette instance tripartite dans le sucre.
Pour cette formation syndicale, le recours à l’embauche des travailleurs saisonniers serait encouragé par cette instance. « We have taken this decision for the following reasons: The sugar sector unions are of the view that the MCIA and its representatives, through the so-called MCIA Technical Committee on Seasonal Labour are acting as a rubber stamp to serve the interests of sugar oligarchs to massively proliferate the recourse to seasonal/ contractual cheap labour and abusive working conditions, inconsistent with existing Collective Agreements. »
« The MCIA have adopted a methodology which has worsened the already abusive practices of seasonal labour in the sugar industry, now paving for the entire systematic elimination of permanent labour within the sugar industry in the coming years. The MCIA will thus be responsible of hurling the working conditions in the sugar industry, into dark ages of the coolie period », s’insurgent les dirigeants du JNP, notamment Ashok Subron et Lall Dewnath.