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Guyanese owe a lot to sugar industry
-Ramotar tells Champion Workers
By Leon Suseran
Director of GuySuCo, Donald Ramotar, has praised the sugar industry for playing an integral role in Guyana’s history and dominating the life here, while “being responsible for many of us being here today.”
Director of GuySuCo, Donald Ramotar addressing the Champion Workers on Sunday
His comments were aimed at the gathering at the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GuySuCo) ceremony to honour nine Champion Workers and their runners- up for the year 2010 at the Blairmont Community Centre in Region Five Saturday.
The aim of the company’s Honour’s Roll scheme is to motivate workers by identifying them and recognizing their contributions in their respective areas of operations.
Ramotar said he has absolutely no doubt in his mind that the challenges the industry is facing today, will come out victorious in the end.
“Because of the past, forced nature of the work to be done, workers developed a certain attitude (as well as management)…both of which, at this point in time must change, because our situation has changed and therefore it is necessary for our attitudes to change,” he noted.
Alluding to the days of the beginnings of the sugar industry, the Director stated that “no longer are we producing to build other societies abroad, but producing to build our own country.” He noted that Guyanese owe a lot to the sugar industry and to sugar as a whole.
The characteristics of the sugar cane, he noted, led to the practice that still continues today, of the operation of sugar factories right here at home. “When you cut the sugar cane, it has to be processed in a short period of time—preferably before 48 hours—therefore, the sugar cane could not have been exported. If it could have been exported, they [the British] would have never built a factory in our country.”
Ramotar said he hopes to turn the industry around so that the industry can produce “better quality sugar…where hopefully, when we turn this industry around, we’ll be able to produce industrial sugar and be able to make more money for our people in this country”.
Keeping the industry going and more viable is essential, he noted. Alluding to the growing problem of low worker turnout at the canefields, Ramotar stated, “We must show we are responsible and capable of making GuySuCo better than when it was in the hands of foreigners.” He charged the management to be more “in sync with what’s happening and be more in tune”, adding that they must have an ear for the problems and difficulties and conditions of the workers in the industry.
He lauded government’s commitment in the industry, especially the capital investment in the factory at Skeldon, Berbice, and the new packaging plant. “This industry must produce, not only to cover its own expenses but it must produce for the further development of our country…that is a challenge,” Ramotar posited.
He said he has every confidence that the industry can overcome the problems, if “we seek to understand them, to identify the problems and if we understand that the international arena creates unequal, conditions of trade.”
Champion Workers, runners- up and their families at the Blairmont Community Centre Ground
Ramotar said that Guyana is still trying to work out the negative effects of the financial crisis in America.
“By the stroke of a pen, GuySuCo and Guyana, from last year, has losses of more than $10B a year, because of the cut on the price of sugar and that has created a huge challenge for GuySuCo, a challenge to management, workers, government and directors,” he said.
He said that Guyana has to compete with other countries in the world [ACP, EU] “to have a better deal, but in the final analysis, the solution lies in our hand, so we can raise our production and productivity in our society, and we can take examples from our Champion Workers…and use that as an example to make a stronger sugar industry in Guyana,” he noted.
Certificates and prizes were awarded to the Champion Workers and Runners- up.
Also at the event were Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds and Chief Executive Officer of the industry, Paul Bhim.
ESTATE CHAMPION WORKER RUNNERS- UP
Skeldon Deodat Parsram Dhanraj Persaud, Chabilall Kissoon
Albion Parsram Lallbeharry Balram Surujnauth, Zamin Khan
Rose Hall Richard A. David Hollis Graham, Mahendra Punwa
Blairmont Deodat Molloo Stephen Victor, Vanessa McAlmont
Enmore Pritipaul Ramroop Abdool Shameer Karim, Tariq Amjad
LBI Halimoon Shamshudin Dhanriam Kassim, Hansraj Rambarran
Wales Hameed Muslim Tracey Lall- Seecharran, Andrew Bowman
Uitvlugt Motiram (only name) Joylin Baggot, Natalie Douglas
DST Marcelle Henry Shawn Persaud, Prince Davidson
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