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GUYSUCO can only recover through efficiency and a motivated workforce

Aug 09, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor,
Very few corporations in the world can survive in a competitive market under government control.  State apparatus are not equipped or designed to compete in this arena and as such they normally fail miserably. It is the reason why countries like Russia quickly privatized most or all of their industries to recover their economy and in China you see Alibaba becoming the first private holding to own a bank.
In the case of GUYSUCO it is no different; anyone with a good pair of lens would see that the sugar industry will not survive on the world market at the high cost of production it is experiencing.  And to make matters worse, it is a political football. Some can even say that the birth of AFC came out of the misery of GUYSUCO, especially in the Berbice region.
Apart from the other factors, such as diversification, there are two key factors that give companies a competitive edge; that is, constantly improving efficiency and investing in a highly motivated workforce.  None of which GUYSUCO seems to possess presently.  The Guyanese mindset towards GUYSUCO is that it is a “cash cow” for everyone to grab their share, with no concern for its long term survival.
All successful corporations today are focusing their resources and energy in human capital by reshaping the landscape of their leadership structure. This includes challenging their leaders to be servant leaders that build partnership with their workers, instead of a top down autocratic approach. Companies understand that everyone in the workforce wants to have a say in the decision making process and be able to provide ideas to their bosses who would listen.
Monetary incentives are no longer the standard for lean productivity, it is now equally important to create a sense of ownership among everyone. Management will have to quickly learn to stop massaging their egos on the backs of the labourers and remove that negative of “master and servant” relationship. Instead managers should be measured based on their ability to have a happy and productive workforce that respects management and wants to work for the interest of the company.
Efficiency in this context then means, that there should be constant review of how to make every process move faster with less cost. From saving stationery to pulling punts through the canals should be subject to new ideas and out of the box thinking. Kaizans and other pilot projects should be done as much as possible with measurable cost savings and be implemented with speed. These ideas for process improvement should not only come from the top, but mainly generated from the bottom up. The cane cutter should be encouraged to work side by side with management to help implement and improve processes.
These are concepts that are more effectively done through the private sector; however, the government would still have to ensure that there is sufficient job security for workers.  And stop making GUYSUCO a political football.
MALCOLM WATKINS
Rise for Democracy and Unity

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