Use of two great quotes to pontificate on GuySuCo‘s future

Nov 14, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor;
Editor’s note: This is the conclusion of GuySuCo’s long explanation published in our edition yesterday.
A critical area in the conversation on re-organising the business of sugar is strike action and loss of man-days in the Corporation. During the past ten years, strike action ranged from 160 to 250 per year. Up to the 31 September, 2016 there were 112 strikes in the industry. Over the period 2005 to 2015, the total man-days lost due to strikes were 813,437. In 2009, the highest was recorded, with 130, 171 and the lowest being 32,064 in 2014.
As of 31 September, 2016, the total man-days lost are, 29,862. Being a labour-intensive Corporation, over 150 strikes per year have, in no small measure, contributed to the decline of the Corporation and have impacted significantly on its financial state.
The Unions, especially the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), has been a contributory factor to the high number of strikes, loss of man-days and therefore to the non-profitability of the industry. Therefore moving forward any discussion with the Unions must be on the premise of them evaluating their role as a stakeholder in contributing towards building resilience, sustainability and profitability into the business.
Downsizing the sugar industry, and complementing it with other viable agricultural projects, simply means that we are downsizing the source of the losses, reducing and eventually eliminating the dependency on the National Treasury and sustaining employment, all for the benefit of National Economy. This is indeed in line with the responsibility of the Government. While GuySuCo’s current circumstances present a real challenge, it also presents a rare opportunity, that is, for a single industry to be the catalyst for changing the shape of the Guyanese economy.
Currently the economy has a triangular shape – a small group at the top, the apex, a slightly larger group at the middle, and a huge group at the bottom. The aspiration of the Government is to grow that group in the middle, if that happens, it will ultimately change the shape of the economy from triangular to a diamond shape; with a small group at the crown or top, the largest group at the girdle or the widest part and a small group at the pavilion or the lower portion of the diamond-shaped economy.
The group at the top usually consists of people with power, wealth and status, the group in the middle consist of those with power, wealth or status whiles the group at the bottom , consist of people with neither power, wealth nor status. GuySuCo has recognized that some of its employees are at the base of the triangle.
Hence, the current economic situation has presented an opportunity to put more ownership and responsibility into the hands of persons at the base of the triangle by transforming them into entrepreneurs, etc. Why would Mr. Ally not be interested in supporting a programme that has the potential to move citizens from the base to a higher level that could change the shape of the economy as well as, so many other aspects of the society? I would like to conclude with two quotes: “Change is inevitable in a progressive country.
Change is constant.” (Benjamin Disraeli, 1867) and “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” (George Bernard Shaw).
Audreyanna Thomas
Senior Communications Officer
Communications Unit

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