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GuySuCo and progress in Guyana
Dear Editor,
One must respect the very articulate academic presentation in KN of 26 April on GuySuCo’s transitioning – so much a topic of speculation.
As much as one enjoys its style, one is reflective about the fact of how many intellects have discovered GuySuCo only within the last few years, noticeably in contrast to the comparative lack of insight into its previous failures.
One particular failure go back to the tsunamic disaster contrived by the brilliant political leadership of the day – the Skeldon estate factory – creating a perpetual industry deficit that led to the provision of undeclared subsidies during that time.
So since back then, subsidies had become an imperative – which for years did not preclude the award of wage increases agreed with a union, who, in any case, was not inhibited from calling strikes on estate management teams whose morale and self-confidence were continually eroded by the political management up to 2015.
But there has always been a blind sight to the negative effect which industrial relations in the sugar industry has had on production and productivity over the years – an experience not suffered by any other sugar industries within Caricom.
And yet one would have missed mention of the decline and disappearance of the industry in those more buoyant economies.
The reality of the decline of sugar goes back to the EU’s removal of guarantees, the consequential decline in market prices – for a small producer by any standards, whose cost of production became increasingly higher as a result of wage increases. For better or for worse, GuySuCo has been unable to pay any wage increases since 2014, similarly applying to salaries for its management staff.
At the same time, for much more than a decade there has been a trend of increasing migration of needed skills. At the other end of the spectrum for example, daily attendance of cane harvesters declined to some 45% – an occurrence which, hopefully, helps the unfamiliar to understand why canes could rot in the field.
The low manual productivity is compounded by that of factory equipment which, with the exception of the prematurely dissipated Skeldon, all qualify for pension. The issue of maintenance, and replacement (at great cost) of badly needed parts continue to be a challenge unimaginable to the distant commentator.
But in fairness, the cost of production is not only a reflection of industrial relations activity. Some facts are worth repeating:
GuySuCo is more than just an industry. It is an outstanding community citizen; an education and social development institution.
It continues, in the face of its depleted finances, to maintain its Apprentice Training Centre at Port Mourant, now in its 60th year.
It funds training of Foremen, Supervisors and Senior Staff at the Guyana School of Agriculture and University of Guyana.
It offers annual bursaries to all eligible children of workers. Over the last five years over 100 awards were made at a cost of $46m.
Not to mention also an assistance to Study Scheme for eligible employees.
It operates the most comprehensive occupational health and safety programmes of any combination of local employers.
It is the only employer in the world who provides free medical benefits to all employees (17,000 in 2017), their families including unemployed children up to age 18 years; and of course to more than five thousand pensioners (in 2017) through some 15 Primary Health Care Centres
The above is supported by a contributory hospitalisation and maternity scheme which includes all monthly and weekly paid employees and spouses accessing medical treatment locally and overseas.
Very likely the industry must be the largest contributor to NIS.
And of course all employees could qualify for pension benefits as applicable.
Presumably the maintenance of community centres and the industry’s investment in a range of sports would be well known.
These are realities that cannot be easily changed by any board, whether academic or otherwise.
What needs to be monitored on the other hand, are the promises currently being made – like the projected 2800 gallons of molasses from the Enmore factory actually pouring out as 500 gallons (without sugar); like canes being burnt at Rose Hall Estate with no harvesters in sight.
Hopefully not a smoke screen!
E.B. John
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