10 suggestions for GuySuco to save money

Nov 19, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
I am a former worker with Guysuco and would like to contribute a few things that need to be done to keep this industry viable and prosperous. Presently Guysuco needs to concentrate on three main things (a) Agriculture – Cane Production, (b) Processing – Factory and (c) Marketing. All other ‘frills’ needs to be downsized or cease operations altogether. I will touch on ten basic points.
1. All Health facilities must cease, this institution must be operated by the Government or be sold to private pharmacies. The Diagnostic Centre at Ogle and Rose Hall can be converted to bond Storage for the Government; it will bring in 50 Million monthly.
2. Guysuco Agriculture Research Unit (GARU) at LBI should cease operation and hand it over to NAREI and a subvention paid yearly to do things for Guysuco.
3. All staff at clubs including kitchen cooks should be diverted, let private individuals run these facilities. The rentals will help to keep the compound clean and tidy- no more free lunches.
4. Stop all training for at least two years or until the company starts to grow and prosper. Port Mourant Training Centre has out lived its purpose for Guysuco. It should be run by the Government or be privatized. All persons at Guyana School of Agriculture and University should pay their way. Guysuco needs to employ graduates from the Guyana School of Agriculture, Guyana Technical Institute and the University. All the trainers should find jobs within the Estate. The work standards have deteriorated both in factory and fields for the last twenty years.
5. All payments especially in the field should be done as per legitimate rate sheet. All custom and practice payment should cease. Some of these payments existed since the time of the mule, some have become obsolete, yet payments are made out up to this day. Payment should be made for work done.
6. Harvesting representatives should only come one day per week to do cane scale test. All other disputes should settle in the fields and payment for time spent in doing such representation. At the Estate location representatives are called in every Friday to discuss the new week’s work programme and paid for at average day’s work.
7. Senior staff at head office should be 10% of what is operating at the estates. This is a service department and the excessive should be made redundant or shift to Estate.
8. The Bell Loading rate needs to be urgently reclassified. Presently, we are paying 75% of the cut and load rate (stalking including) for the cutters. Then the bell loaders with operators, staff and additional machinery will load the canes; it is costing another 65% of the cut and loading rate. In layman terms, it is costing 40% more for every ton of cane load by Bell Loaders. Mr. Sukhu and Mr. Earle John can look into this. Check what the rate was in 1948. In the 1970’s, it used to be 40% cut and the person who load the cane will be paid 60%.
9. All junior staff (with the exception of one estate) operates on a Monday – Friday work week. In an industry that operates seven days (Sunday – Sunday) especially when grinding, the work week for the staff should be five days (Monday –Saturday) inclusive. Presently, we are paying every person’s overtime for Saturday work. The GAWU field foreman
agreement puts the work week from Monday to Saturday with one day off for staff. This clause is being overlook by Personnel Managers.
10. All the staff houses at Wales, Ogle and LBI with swimming pools should be converted to executive houses and it can bring in another 300 million annually. It would be good for tourism.
The aforementioned can help to reduce the cost and generate needed revenue. It would be nice to know how much Guysuco got for the Ogle Airport.
I. Tulsiram

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