Working or Not – at Uitvlugt Estate

Jul 16, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor

There was an educative report in SN of July 13 concerning an imbroglio between factory employees of Uitvlugt Estate and the highest level of GuySuCo’s Executive Management – certainly a most exceptional interaction during which the former reportedly alleged to have been ‘disrespected’ – a human complaint in an otherwise pedestrian industrial relations engagement, regarding which the Union (GAWU) will attest that there are ‘stages’ of negotiations (‘talks’ if you will) that are normally observed, and in which the Corporation’s accredited Industrial Relations team should usually be proactive, together of course with the Estate’s team.

Incidentally, the Corporation’s Factory Operations and Agriculture Directors were conspicuous by their absence. Should it not this grouping be the ones reporting to the highest decision-making level, since organisational logic would contradict the practice of that office reporting to itself, albeit without the risk of appearing to be compromised, or of comprising intervening levels of players.
It needs to be understood by all concerned that they are committed to sustaining the organisation, and therefore their behaviour must speak to standards for their successors to emulate. It is simply not a matter of individual style, of ego; but rather one of leaderships setting lessons to be learnt – by those who need to know, and to grow.

In the milieu GAWU would remind all the decision-makers of the communication structure established in the industry, which since 1981, includes the forum described as ‘Worker Participation’. It would be helpful to learn if this interaction is at all being observed.
And while basically production is composed of agricultural and factory operations, it cannot be overlooked of the contribution made to Uitvlugt Estate in particular by the several cane farming cooperative societies, whose financial fate has not been mentioned since the large Ministerial delegation visited this estate several weeks ago.

Have these farmers been compensated for their depleted cane yields, as provided in the legal contracts with estates under the National Cane Farming Committee Act 1965?
The industry has always been more than preoccupations about tractors, trailers, tillage, turbines. Indeed the concentration has been more than on financial incentive – rather with focus on morale, morality, dignity, even humility; about learning and development, regardless of status – which may be summed up as Professionalism.
E.B. John
Retired Human Resources Director
GuySuCo

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