Minister of State, Joseph Harmon has assured stakeholders that the workers’ unions representing the labour force of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) will not be left in the dark during Government’s deliberations on the future of the ailing sugar industry.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon
The cash-strapped and highly-indebted sector has been at the centre of controversy for a number of years, with many advocating for its closure, while some argue that the sugar company just needs restructuring to turn things around.
The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition was strongly against the previous Administration’s continuous multibillion-dollar bailouts for GuySuCo; however, now in Government, it continues to do same until it arrives at a decision about the future of the industry.
Government already launched a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the state of GuySuCo and the sugar industry, and is in the process of implementing some of the recommendations made in the CoI report.
Additionally, a Cabinet sub-committee is currently considering the options in relation to the future of GuySuCo, including the possibility of shutting down the entire industry. The Committee is expected to submit its report by mid-November outlining what approach should be adopted.
During the most recent post-Cabinet press briefing, the Minister of State disclosed that the Government was committed to working with the workers’ unions – the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE).
“The sugar unions are a part of the stakeholders in this matter and we welcome any input from the unions in dealing with these issues,” he said.
He also encouraged the unions to make contact with the Government, rather than jumping to the media when they have issues to resolve, noting that more progress would be made in the first instance.
“We consider the unions to be a very, very important stakeholder in the industry and we would never leave them out of the considerations about the future of sugar in this country,” Harmon said.
The unions have criticised the Government and GuySuCo for not involving them in consultations regarding critical decisions made which will affect the welfare of the workers, as was the case with the Wales Sugar Estate.
Meanwhile, Harmon had outlined that the worst option was to maintain the status quo, that is to do nothing and allow the Corporation to go along as it is, since there would be serious implications for the national treasury, which may incur the cost of some $18.6 billion in 2017 and another $21.4 billion in 2018, if nothing changes.
GuySuCo already has an excess of $80 billion in debt, notwithstanding the fact that only recently, the cash-strapped entity was asked to repay a loan of almost $4 billion, which it received from Central Government as part of its $12 billion subsidy last year.
