Lincoln, indeed these, as you put it, are “…the hard, cold facts”

Jan 29, 2020 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,

The GAWU has recognized that Mr Lincoln Lewis has continued, notwithstanding several explanations, to make reference to the sugar industry and express criticism which in our view lacks objectivity. We reiterate that Mr Lewis has a right to his political preference and which right we respect. This again, we also feel that we need to objectively assess the sugar industry and its ongoing trial at this time.
In his latest letter on sugar, which appeared in the January 26, Kaieteur News, Mr Lewis alleges that Mr Jagdeo has been twiddling his thumbs regarding the sugar issue.
While Lincoln is of the view that the Opposition Leader has not sufficiently satisfied him regarding the sugar matter, we hasten to ask and wonder whether this Trade Unionist is satisfied and/or supportive of what the Coalition has done to the industry and its workers over these long, nearly five years. For us, it appears, the Government is out at sea, when it comes to sugar and those who depend on it.
Imagine, we are now approaching the two-year anniversary since the now infamous sugar bond was birthed and yet not one project earmarked from the bond funding has even broken ground. We saw the Prime Minister, last week, championing that displaced sugar workers will receive land to engage in economic activities, though we had to remind him that he has made this call some two years ago and nothing has been done. It has now been three years since Wales’ closure and two years since Skeldon, Rose Hall and East Demerara closure, and there has been no concerted effort by the Administration to even assuage, at the slightest, their misery. Even the touted divestment of estates has seemingly reached a screeching halt and the plans to keep them as going concerns have apparently gone out of the window.
Mr Lewis says that history would have recorded that Mr Jagdeo would have tried at least. But really, the moment begs the question: what about the history created by the Coalition? They have the ignominious record of the largest retrenchment exercise in post-independent Guyana. They also hold the title of longest period of wage freeze in the sugar industry. And then too, they have ignored literally ever piece of advice, commentary, urging and call not to shutter estates and put people out of work and communities into misery. So that is also history, history that will indelibly scar the landscape and push back peoples and communities for many years to come.
Lincoln also says that he is concerned very much where workers cannot “…earn wages/salary that can provide a decent living…”. He rightly points out that it has a “…concomitant impact on standard of living, poverty and other social ills.” This is very much true as well. He goes on to say that “…ministers of government are on record saying these workers should be paid more…”
Again these are lofty utterances but where is the action? Certainly, the Ministers who are in seeming sympathy with the workers and their plight could have used their collective voices to urge their colleagues to have the matter meaningfully addressed. Rather, it appears that that so-called concern exists in abstract, hollow talk.
Mr Lewis may have missed that we disclosed in our last response to him that we are at the bargaining table with GuySuCo. We did share too that, at this time, only the pay rise matter remains under consideration. Several other matters were discussed and responses were provided. Lincoln may have missed too that we did respond to Mr Sukhu’s comments. That response had appeared in the December 05, 2019, Stabroek News. Nevertheless, it is said that Mr Sukhu has ignored Minister Jordan, though Lincoln said in his response that the negotiations fall under the ambit of the Management.
Again, Lincoln may be confused when he said “…the conditions under which the bond was established wages and salary cannot be paid from it.” This, however, is not true.
The NICIL, according to a report appearing in the June 04, 2019, Guyana Chronicle, said, among other things, that the bond proceeds were earmarked for “…two years… general ongoing operational costs”. That report went on to say that “…GuySuCo has reportedly requested monies to cover operational expenses, such as payment of salaries.”
Mr Lewis also questions where it is said that the World Bank gave approval for Skeldon. It may be wise for Lincoln to consult the World Bank’s website. Nevertheless, maybe it has slipped him that, at the time, of the Skeldon investment the country was deemed a HIPC nation and we were firmly in the grips of the international financial institutions (IFIs) i.e. the World Bank and the IMF.
Lincoln may recollect that the Skeldon project was envisaged since the late 1990s. However, it did not begin construction until the mid-2000s as permission had to be granted by the World Bank and IMF. An earlier start was prevented as the IFIs did not allow the Corporation, on its own, to borrow the monies required for the project. Lincoln again raised the EU monies, something we have clarified twice for him and we don’t believe we need to repeat ourselves.
Lincoln refers to the Demerara Waves which said that 5,200 workers were laid off by the Coalition. Just for the sake of clarity, 5,200 workers were laid off through the closure of Skeldon, Rose Hall and East Demerara Estates in December 2017 and additional 1,700 were laid off at Wales in December 2016.
Of course, those numbers do not include the hundreds of temporary workers who GuySuCo prevented from working during the years of closure and thus denying them any severance.
Regarding, the claim of some 5,340 employees laid off during the PPP/C Administration, this is indeed news. The only workers that were made redundant, during the period, were those linked to Diamond and a few at the LBI factory. Apart from that, workers who may have committed misdemeanors may have been dismissed or terminated. That is the length of our knowledge. Of course, those numbers aggregated cannot be equivalent to 5,340 as is claimed.
We agree with Lincoln when he says “[s]ugar is in crisis and has to be attended to in frank, honest and open conversations and through deliberative action(s) by the relevant stakeholders.” The problem is that those in charge do not want to have such conversations and prepare to listen to valued and valuable advice. They have, in our view, their own ulterior intentions.
As Mr Lewis said the job losses are too many, especially considered “…when there is limited opportunity for reemployment or retraining…”
Lincoln, indeed these, as you put it, are “…the hard, cold facts.”
Yours faithfully,
Seepaul Narine
General Secretary
GAWU

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