…on sugar workers’ salaries?
Talk about trying to influence the jury!! Knowing their cold-blooded decision to amputate four sugar estates and hock it to private interests for a song will cause widespread outrage, the Government claims sugar workers EARN ON AN AVERAGE $200,000 per month!! They emphasised this was FOUR TIMES THE MINIMUM WAGE!!! They’re pitching this to their Government worker supporters, of course, to show how the PPP was having sugar workers live high off the hog.
But of course, it’s all hogwash! To show how ridiculous the statement is, your Eyewitness has one question for the Government and all the gullible folks who’ll believe their assertion. IF SUGAR WORKERS ARE EARNING SO MUCH MONEY, WHY AREN’T ALL THOSE MINIMUM WAGE FOLKS LINING UP TO BECOME SUGAR WORKERS SINCE YEAR IN, YEAR OUT, GUYSUCO CAN’T GET BETTER THAN A 60 PER CENT ATTENDANCE?? Especially the “working poor” as some in Government service are called. Don’t they want to haul in the big bucks?
The truth, of course, is it just ain’t so. DURING THE CROP some cane cutters do in fact take home fat paychecks. But this is dependent on the tonnage of cane they cut and load onto punts under a brutal sun. If a fella is willing to work like they did back in the days of slavery, he might make even more than that. But at what cost? There’s a reason why very few male ex-sugar workers live to collect their pensions. Cane cutters are paid by the ton – no work, no money! But that’s the job requirement that drives away all minimum wagers! They’d like to rake in that dough while lolling around in air conditioned offices.
But during the “out of crop” seasons – and we must remember cane cutters are employed for only half the year – they take home zilch! And who has the discipline to keep half their wages for the lean months? Especially when Income Tax was deducted during the months of fat as if that was their pay all year long. Very few of them ever file adjusted returns at the end of the year to claim overpayments of taxes!
What these egghead consultants, who’re drawing millions in salaries obviously did was to take the total “wage bill” of GuySuCo and divide it by the number of employees! Are these people for real? Even they had to note the mega salaries of admin managers. Did they consider the salaries of the other top heavy managers? What about the staff at HQ…and all the other “central expenses” that get lumped into “wages”.
Just shows you why GuySuCo’s gone backwards and to the dogs!
…on Steve’s qualifications
They say the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Personally, your Eyewitness isn’t too big on puddings but he’ll accept the wisdom of the vox populii, on the methodology for deciding on a good GECOM Chairman. Steve Surujbally’s been a good Chairman – that he’s pi55ed off folks from both sides of the divide is prima facie evidence of that!
So rather than arguing like the Churchmen of yore about how many angels can stand on the head of a pin, shouldn’t the powers-that-be look at the evidence? Are we still stuck in the pre-Galilean era? Was the Honourable AG’s tortured and tortuous exegesis of “and”, “or” and “other” anything but sophistry and casuistry?
Steve Surujbally wasn’t a judge but he had “judge like” qualities. Meaning he had the requisite knowledge as Chair to weigh arguments put forward by his fractious Commissioners – and the patience to allow the evidence (votes) to come in.
His refusal to suffer fools, helped – but may not be necessary! Let’s get it on!!
…on KN’s drug bust silence?
The biggest drug bust since 1999 – worth over US$100 million!! – involving Guyanese takes place and the Muckraker is silent two days in a row? What’s going on?
Now we hear a local vessel was also involved…Oh dear!
