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wednesday, august 5, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com
GAWU cooperating Millers, RPA want GRDB to with GuySuCo CoI compensate for over US$2M losses Stalled Venezuelan rice shipments
GAWU’s President Komal Chand
T
he Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) said it has honoured its obligation and has made itself available to the ongoing Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the operations of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). GAWU’s President Komal Chand told Guyana Times on Tuesday that the sugar workers’ representative on Monday presented its 18-page memorandum to the 11-member Commission which is headed by Vibert Parvatan. Chand said GAWU, along with sister organisations the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) and the Guyana Labour Union (GLU), was at the private proceeding. The organisations will, however, make their presentations at a later date. While he could not go into detail about his presentation, Chand said it covered a broad spectrum of areas including what required special attention and focus in the fields and factories, the need for efficient and accountable management of personnel, climate change and its effects on production, ways through which the industry could return to sustainable standards, the need for an expanded market and benefits of value added sugar. GAWU has been at the forefront of the sugar sector , fighting for the rights of the industry and the thousands of workers who benefit. The first round of the Inquiry set up by Government to probe the operations of GuySuCo was completed late last month, with several experts testi-
fying and members of the Commission visiting the Uitvulgt Factory, West Coast Demerara (WCD). Government said the objective was to develop a plan which would bring the state-owned enterprise, which has been operating since 1976, back to profitability, and assure its long-term environmental and economic sustainability. The Commissioners, who are tasked with development planning for this purpose, are mandated to “investigate and inquire into the current state of cane cultivation, production, and marketing of sugar, molasses and other by-products including power”. Investigations will also be conducted into the human resources department, research and development, diversification of the industry, community obligations, weather events, marketing, financing, procurement and overall factory management and performance. The consultants will work closely with the interim management team and other GuySuCo officials to realise the objective. They will also liaise with cane farmers as required. The CoI is expected to complete its work by September 30. Commission Chairman Parvatan had told Guyana Times that among those who testified and made recommendation on the way forward for the crumbling industry were former Factory Manager Sydney Robinson, former GuySuCo Chairman Vickram Oditt, former Houston/Versailles Estates shareholder and Manager Anthony Vieira, former GuySuCo Human Resources Director Earl John, and GuySuCo Agriculture
Services General Manager Raymond Sangster. Commissioners have also met with staff members of various levels. Those responsible for field and factory operations and human resources held meetings with General Managers, departmental managers and several workers as they examined the preparatory work for the next crop in this, the out-of-crop season. Teams will be revisiting the estates at various periods to follow up. Other interested parties have been invited by the Commission to participate in the investigation. Persons who have signalled their intention to make submissions include former GuySuCo General Manager Vishnu Panday, former Factory Manager and Chief Electrical Engineer Lance Tyrell, and former employee George Alleyne. The Commission, during its investigation, will develop a 15-year plan which will be aimed at bringing the sugar industry back to profitability. The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) maintains that GuySuCo has been “sinking further into debt due to ineffective operations both at the financial and production levels”- at the hands of the previous People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration.
Some 300 containers of rice destined for Venezuela which were left at the wharf are still there
N
ow that the millers have to feel the brunt of having to take back the rice and paddy which were destined for Venezuela, the Millers Association and the Rice Producers Association (RPA) are calling on the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) to play a greater role during this crisis and assist in some way to compensate the estimated US$2 million the millers stand to lose. Some 300 containers of rice destined for Venezuela which were left at the wharf are still there and the GRDB, which is supposed to take full responsibility of these shipments, has instructed the millers to remove them. This move has been widely criticised by the RPA and the Millers Association which contend that the rice now belongs to the GRDB so the responsibility lies with the Board to assist with the
removal of these containers. President of the Millers Association, Dr Peter De Groot asserted that it was unreasonable that the millers now have to stand the expense of having to remove the rice. “They have to make arrangements now to remove the rice, destuff containers, stop the rice from spoiling and find new markets. This will be costly for them,” he said, indicating that the GRDB should take some responsibility. RPA General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj also argued that it was not fair that the GRDB took custody of the rice, but now, simply because the Venezuelan market was no longer available, was demanding that the millers incur the necessary expenses to rectify the situation. “In the mind of the RPA this is not fair and it is also a strange action by the Rice Board, because, over the
years, the Rice Board has always been at the forefront in terms of promoting the interest of the industry,” he said. Seeraj noted that the RPA will dispatch a letter to the GRDB today concerning this situation. Meanwhile, in addition to bearing the expense regarding the removal and repackaging of rice and paddy shipments, De Groot and Seeraj pointed out, millers will also lose out owing to the prices being offered by alternative markets. “These are high-quality rice and it was going to high-quality market in Venezuela and they were offering a high price so millers have already invested a certain amount into this shipment and were expecting to make a certain amount in return. Now that this highquality rice will have to go to another market with a lower price, the millers will lose out,” Seeraj explained.