Rose Hall Estate reopening: Employment recruitment drive kicks off today

…persons have been calling for work – Manager

The recruitment drive that has been announced for the Rose Hall sugar estate begins today, targeting some 200 workers. It’s a target that acting estate manager Balraj Dhanraj is optimistic they can reach, since persons have been calling the estate enquiring about work.

In an interview with this publication, Dhanraj explained that the recruitment drive is aiming to employ 200 persons, both skilled and unskilled workers. It is understood that persons in New Amsterdam, West Bank Berbice and Canje are especially expected to benefit from the initiative.
“We looking for technical people like welders, fitter machinists, electricians, diesel mechanics. And we’re looking for unskilled people – porters, cleaners. We’re looking for planters, and we can get fertilizer hands and chemical weed controllers… some of the people been calling in,” Dhanraj said.
When it comes to operations at the estate, he explained that work has been and continues to be done on the factory. For instance, work has been done in the pre-milling section. Components of the milling plant were also dismantled, while parts that had to be replaced, including mill rollers, were identified.
“At the boiler, we already replace the generating tubes. We are presently servicing the boiler valves. In the powerhouse, we’re removing a Blackstone engine. And that will be replaced by a 400-kilowatt diesel generating set…we’re presently (also) doing some structural work,” he explained, noting that work on the factory roof is expected to take three months.
In terms of the field, he explained that work has been interrupted by the torrential rainfalls that have fallen occurring since May, resulting in countrywide flooding. Dhanraj was confident, however, that the estate was on course for reopening in the second crop of next year.
“In the fields, the major work we identified was to till and plant the land. But because of the inclement weather, the tillage programme has come to a halt. We’re hoping to start back the tillage in August, when we’re expecting favourable weather. Once we cannot till, there is no opportunity to plant.”
It was only last week that Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had announced that a “special initiative” would be announced in the near future that focuses on bringing benefits to the thousands of ex-sugar workers who were dismissed under the APNU/AFC regime.
Some 7000-plus sugar workers were placed on the breadline after the APNU/AFC Administration downsized the industry and shut down four estates across the country. Many of those workers have not been able to secure permanent jobs, and remain on the breadline years later.
However, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), during the 2020 election campaign, had promised to reopen those estates and rehire those sacked workers.
During an interview last week with a social media commentator, Jagdeo said Government has not forgotten this promise. In fact, he disclosed that he would soon be meeting with those former sugar workers on this.
“We remember our pre-election promise, and soon I’ll be meeting with [the ex-sugar workers]. There is a special initiative that we’re working on for the 7000 workers who were laid off. Soon I’ll be meeting with them to explain more about this initiative… We intend to fulfil our promises,” the Vice President had indicated.
Back in 2016, the former APNU/AFC closed the Wales Estate, and, the following year, shut down the Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon estates, putting over 7000 sugar workers on the breadline. The downsizing of the sugar industry resulted in only the Uitvlugt, Blairmont and Albion Estates being in operation.
However, since the PPP/C Administration assumed office in August 2020, they have been putting systems in place to reopen the Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon Estates. Due to the deteriorating state of the Wales factory, that estate would be converted into the Wales Development Authority – an industrial facility that would see the development of not only agriculture, but agro-industries, processing facilities, manufacturing and other sectors to drive economic activities.
Additionally, Government, through the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), has already moved to rehire over 700 sugar workers. (G3)