Saving the sugar industry is more important than harping at what were the reasons that brought us to this point

Nov 12, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Coming from a long line of working class descendants with a particular attachment to the sugar industry over the decades, it is easy to see where my support lies. I will always remain an advocate for better working conditions and improved wages for the working class.
However, based on the revelations in the sugar industry over the past few years it is only reasonable for one to honestly assess the current industrial climate and determine whether certain actions are really justifiable.
The reality as with any other industry globally, wages and salaries are a reflection of the performance of that Corporation and will vary depending on related anomalies.
Regarding the sugar industry, for as long as one can remember workers have always been offered an increase every year and this year is no different. Some years they have not been happy with those increases, but the fact remains the same, an increase nevertheless.
However, it is clear that the present reality dictates that if in their role of harvesting canes the workers withhold their labour and the production that is attainable suffers, then where do they expect the Corporation to generate money to pay their and other workers salaries much less an increase and additional benefits, such as Weekly Production Incentive, Annual Production Incentive and an extra two weeks non-taxable pay for the holiday season. I am told that employees with over 10 years of service even receive three weeks non-taxable pay at the end of the final crop, once they have qualified among their other benefits.
To highlight this situation is important in light of the fact that the richest country in CARICOM, Trinidad and Tobago has closed its sugar industry and is offering public sector workers a 1% increase, this year. Even in the EU, which has cut out 36% of our earnings on the sugar we export to that part of the world has implemented wage cuts and freezes, not to mention the numerous social services cuts. And mind you traditionally most of our sugar is exported to the EU, circumstances being that while an opening might occur in another market with higher prices; this is just for a short period of time. It is not worth jeopardizing a long term market for this quick fix and then lose out in the long term.
Some would respond that this is Guyana and those are far richer countries, so one cannot compare the two. But I beg to differ, because it further illustrates my point. When these large countries are affected they rush to protect their industries, and ultimately small countries like Guyana suffer, as we not only depend on them for financial support, but also to access their markets for our products.
So in reality, if we were receiving $100 per pound of sugar exported to the EU, we are now receiving only $64. Such is the devastating
impact, and it will no doubt take years for this industry to recover from such a set back. It was so devastating that the industry vanished in T&T, it’s almost non-existent in Barbados and Jamaica is in the intensive care unit. At the same time while Guyana is hobbling along it has a bright future for full recovery.
Despite the financial shortfall, it has managed to make significant investments to modernize its operations and introduce value added packaging. Expending its financial resources with a long term plan in mind was a tough choice. Giving workers a 15% increase for two years would have been the easier path to thread and everyone would have been happy, that is until the industry came to a complete standstill and then thousands of workers will then be unemployed, competing for whatever employment opportunities are available.
They would not have the chance then to strike for benefits and conditions, but just happy they are one of the lucky ones with an income, whatever the amount.
That is the reality the Corporation is fighting to avoid and hence, value added packaging is one of the vital strategies the Corporation is working towards to make up for that 36% shortfall. By all estimation the industry could earn almost 30% more than the current format of shipping bulk sugar which is then packaged overseas.
Already, the Demerara Gold brand has been on the market for some time now and the intention is to scale up operations significantly, hence the investment in the modern sugar packaging facility ‘Project Gold’ at Enmore which is in its final stages of completion.
Much has been made about the investment at Skeldon.
In its release on November 10 2010, GAWU called for the Corporation to come clean on what is happening at the factory.
This position does make one wonder, as all the technical hurdles at Skeldon have been well ventilated in the public.
So this call by GAWU for the Corporation to truthfully advise the nation on the state of affairs of the factory is contradicted by what no less a person than PNCR MP, Mr. Winston Murray was partly quoted in the media as saying, during a Parliamentary Sectorial Committee on Economics visit on April 30 2010 to the factory.
Mr. Murray stated that he was, “impressed with the honesty and commitment of the people who are managing the project.”
He was also quoted as saying, “I believe that the project has a number of very competent technical people manning it and that is good. They have to ensure that they maintain that factory because it is so digitalised or computerised that you really need a high level of technical skills to oversee it”.
And that is the point indeed, because the operationalization of the Skeldon Factory is so dependent on technology it is only reasonably for one to expect that there will be problems, both at the start and throughout its lifespan, as is the case with all the other existing factories.
Such is the nature of factories all over the world and more so in the sugar industry and Skeldon should not be treated differently. The fact is that Skeldon has been showing rapid improvement and additional specialists have been sourced to improve the efficiency at the facility. This is also public knowledge.
As I write this letter, workers on several estates continue to strike. They have been urged numerous times before to give the investments in the industry a chance to make the kind of impact it is designed for.
A bit over two days ago the reason given as the reason the workers resorted to strike action was for the Corporation to make a wages and salaries offer.
After the Corporation made an offer, the strikes continue, only the concerns have shifted in that workers now claim they are not satisfied with the pace of negotiations.
The challenge now is for workers to understand that they are not the only serious contributors to the industry and are only part of a cycle, where thousands of other workers play an equally crucial role in several areas of the industry and as a result are affected by their actions.
Coming up with the proposals put forward by the Corporation was not something which was done overnight, but came about after months of painfully monitoring the industry’s day by day performance, which has now become so vital because of its financial ability or lack thereof.
Now let’s explore what seems to be a very disturbing mindset of the unions and by extension their membership.
It has long been a customary practice for the unions and their representatives to call in the media to highlight their grouses and concerns.
Be it a strike, picketing exercise or an interview to highlights concerns and position on issues.
The Corporation has never objected to this and over time actually necessitated a response in kind to address misconceptions and outline its position.
The current wages negotiations became a public issue when the unions staged various industry wide strikes to publicly highlight their concerns.
So it is rather sad when no less a person than the General Secretary of NAACIE is quoted in the media exclaiming his surprise that the Corporation actually publicized its wages and salaries offer to the media, an already very public issue. He is quoted in the Guyana Times article on November 11 2010 as stating that, “It is disturbing. This will get the workers angry; it will aggravate them that their grievances are being made public”.
So in essence, it is ok for the unions and workers to air their grievances to the public via the media, but the Corporation should not keep the public informed but rather stay silent, and allow the public to draw their conclusions from the unions’ perspective.
And at the same time, GAWU is calling on the Corporation to open up and talk to the public, via the media about Skeldon.
This is the sort of behaviour the Corporation has had to endure for many years.
The unions and workers cannot engage in strike action being fully aware of its devastating impact on the industry and then at the same time, try to exonerate themselves from any blame for the shortfall in production.
The solution now on the way forward is difficult but necessary.
Saving the sugar industry is more important than continuing to harp at what were the reasons that brought us to this point. We already know that!
The onus now is for all stakeholders to genuinely work together to achieve success in the short term and more importantly towards the long term vision for the industry.
We have already started on the part to stabilizing the Industry; don’t let us regress, as a profitable industry in the coming years; we cannot shy away from ensuring that workers equally benefit from that success.
Name and Address Provided

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