By Trevor Thwaites ( St. George's correspondent)

ST.GEORGE'S, Grenada: Workers, who have been retrenched by the Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg Association (GCNA) following the destruction caused by Hurricane Ivan, will receive some benefits from the government. The GCNA has decided to compensate the 350 workers, who have been retrenched with one week’s salary per year from 1999 to 2006. Workers expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision during a recent meeting with Nutmeg officials in St Andrew.

Workers refer to the decision as ridiculous, because they say that they have been working with the GCNA for more than 20 years before 1999. Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell, who attended the meeting expressed sympathy with the workers and promised to provide some form of assistance to the many, who are single parents and have not been working for the past 19 months. Well the prime minister has kept his promise and the government has announced some relief for Nutmeg workers.

Agriculture Minister the Hon Gregory Bowen made the announcement in a statement issued to the press last week Friday. He said that the government is doing all that it can to help workers deal with the terrible effects of the hurricane. “It is not government’s responsibility, but we have seen the plight of workers. “I am therefore pleased to announce that the government has taken the decision to provide some form of relief to the workers for the period for the period up to 1999,” the Agriculture Minister said.

However, the minister did not say how much will be spent on the relief package or how soon it will begin. But he assured the workers that the government is coming to their rescue. Bowen said that with the with the amalgamation of the Nutmeg ad Cocoa Associations, the ministry of agriculture will be working to help retrain and provide opportunities for workers displaced by Hurricane Ivan.

“I want to wish those workers all the best in the future and say that we in the ministry of agriculture will continue to work to provide programmes to retrain and provide new opportunities,” the Agriculture Minister said. He indicated the retraining of workers for the new challenges ahead is being given high priority by the government, to take care of the displaced workers in the rural communities. Rural communities are reeling from the demise of the Nutmeg Industry, which provided approximately $2 million on a monthly basis.