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PPP/C destroyed the East Demerara sugar estates
Dear Editor,
We have read repeatedly that the sugar industry was damaged by the APNU+AFC Coalition administration which threw many workers onto the breadline. If anything, the PPPC administration should be blamed for the destruction of the East Coast Demerara sugar industry during the chaotic 1992-2015 period.
Mr. Editor, for the benefit of your readers, I provide the factual timeline of the PPP/C’s mismanagement of the industry: 1992. There were 20,420 employees in the sugar industry and eight estates were in operation. 1998. The Enmore/LBI/Diamond estates cultivations and operations were amalgamated into East Demerara estates and the administrative office was centralized at LBI. The Enmore administrative office and Field Workshop were closed leading to the termination of the clerical staff and artisans from Enmore which was approximately 200 persons.
2010. The Diamond estate took 4,000 hectares out of cane cultivation and the employees transferred to LBI. GAWU challenged GUYSUCO transfer in court which ruled against the Corporation and 500 employees were paid severance in June 2011.
2011. The LBI factory was closed and the majority of the employees transferred to the Enmore factory while some were severed. The canes previously processed at LBI were transported to the Enmore factory for processing.
1992-2015. GUYSUCO removed 5,340 employees from the payroll. During this period, the Corporation was unable to recruit new workers and employees also continued to leave the industry. At the end of 2015, there were only 15,080 employees at seven estates.
Mr. Editor, with GUYSUCO’s inability to recruit or retain employees, a considerable amount of money was invested in the mechanization of the field operations to accommodate mechanized harvesting in particular. This was particularly so at Enmore and the expansion lands at Skeldon.
It should be evident that the present low level of sugar production and the drastic reduction of the workforce were the result of over two decades of PPP/C administration’s mismanagement.
Respectfully,
Frank S. Grant
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