The state-owned Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC) is reportedly due to cease operations on Monday December 18th to be replaced by a new private company.

But, some workers are complaining of how the matter has been handled and what they say is failure to pay some monies due by the date promised.

Some of roughly 120 staff members employed at Portvale Factory tell Starcom Network that on November 9th they were summoned to a meeting at the factory where the management of the BAMC briefed them about the fact that BAMC would cease operations.

They said they were told they would be paid severance by the National Insurance Department and that they would get money from BAMC in lieu of notice and vacation.

The Portvale workers say they were led to believe they would get their vacation and payment in lieu of notice cheques between Wednesday of this week and today.

But, when they turned up at the factory today all they were told was to go back and home and come back on Monday.

One of the workers, whose voice we have disguised, describes the situation as very frustrating.

One of the workers at the Portvale factory.

On September 1st, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Indar Weir told Starcom Network News that divestment of the BAMC would be completed by the end of this year.

Prior to that the President of the Barbados Sustainable Energy Cooperative Society Limited, Lieutenant Colonel Trevor Browne, had stated that the co-op was likely to take over the BAMC’s operations by year end and transition it to a significant focus on energy production.