Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Apr 20, 2016 Letters
Dear Editor,
I make reference to article captioned “One Berbice factory produces more than two Demerara estates….GAWU was aware of LBI closure since 2011” that was carried in your April 16, edition. The article, in its entirety, described the positions of GAWU and GuySuCo on the closure of all remaining operations at LBI and integrate them with similar operations at Enmore Estate.
The Union’s position is that “when the factory was closed in 2011and the workers were transferred to Enmore, both Unions (GAWU and NAACIE) were assured by a member of the current Interim Management that there will be no closure of any other department after the closure of the factory”. The company, on the other hand is contending that the “integration process was not completed, since there are still two mill docks, 2 field workshops, 2 field laboratories, 2 field offices and 2 stores within the East Demerara Estates (EDE) operations at LBI”, and “that the full integration process should have been completed since 2011, but was not done, to the further detriment of the economics of EDE”.
The foregoing illustrates an obvious gridlock between the 2 parties, which could easily be diffused by a process underscored with trust. The common denominator is the member of the Interim Management. The Interim Management comprises just 2 persons, Errol Hanoman and Paul Bhim; the latter was at GuySuCo’s helm as the acting CEO in 2011.Hanoman was not in the company’s employ at the time. Bhim needs to clarify whether he gave an assurance to the 2 Unions that “there will be no closure of any other department after the closure of the factory”, and further if there was no such assurance what stymied the “integration process to the detriment of the economics of EDE”, bearing in mind that under his stewardship as the CEO, GuySuCo incurred a huge debt of G$58B. The completion of the integration process then would have most likely salvaged the “economics of the EDE”, and reduced somewhat the company’s overall debt.
Reference is also made to the statement, “This state of affairs must be compared with Albion Estate which produces more than twice the amount of sugar as produced by the East Demerara Estates and operates efficiently with one mill dock, one field workshop and one field laboratory” Before, venturing further, it must be observed that in the entire article GuySuCo keeps referring to East Demerara ESTATES, which means that the company at this point in time is recognizing that the entity is not a single operating unit. One then presumes that when the “integration process” is completed then it will be East Demerara ESTATE, but why should it be East Demerara Estate, and not Enmore Estate, when LBI will no longer exist? LBI cultivation will be consolidated, integrated (all words used interchangeably by the company) with Enmore.
Editor, Albion Estate has approximately 9,100 Ha under cane, whilst EDE has 7,200; 1,900 Ha less than Albion. Albion could process 168 tonnes cane per hour; whilst EDE is 105. Under these 2 production capacity factors, it’s misleading to compare Albion with EDE on sugar production capabilities. What should have been stated by the company is that whilst Albion is a larger operating unit, it has one of each of those contentious operating sub-departments.
Editor, this nation, on whose taxes this company survives, cannot continue to witness day in day out, unending disputes and deep-seated polarization between the sugar unions and GuySuCo. This issue of “completing an integration process” is obviously beset by lack of trust. There needs to be trust, openness and honouring of words and deeds, so that the virtues of good office and better judgement could prevail. The show of upmanship must be over. Like Wales, where the lives of 1,700 workers are on tenterhook due to a drought of information on their future, the workers at LBI will be equally apprehensive of going to Enmore as they look at the uncertain fate of their West Demerara colleagues.
Chandimal Rambudhan
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Apr 19, 2024
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