White paper on sugar will confirm Govt’s stance – GAWU

The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) is convinced that the “white paper” on the sugar industry’s future, which is expected to be laid at the next sitting of the National Assembly, will include several negative elements, including the closure of several other sugar estates.
A white paper is an authoritative report about a complex issue which is meant to help persons to understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision.
GAWU’s President, Komal Chand, said the Union will confirm Government’s position that was put to GAWU, the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) on December 31, 2016, to implement several major changes to the industry.

He recalled that the proposal which was presented to the three parties recommended that the Enmore and Rose Hall sugar estates be closed, and to have the Skeldon Sugar Factory placed for sale.
“I have no doubt about the closure and sellout is in the white paper because this has been confirmed by the President (David Granger) that we will have only three estates,” Chand told Guyana Times on Tuesday.
According to him, this leaves no hope for people who are directly employed with the industry, as they may have to begin seeking alternative employment in areas many of them are not familiar with.
“One cannot be happy with a situation that it will bring so much negative effects on the workers of this country and by extension communities, and so many other people who depend on the resources of sugar,” he added.
Prior to the announcement made by Government to have the white paper laid in the National Assembly, the GAWU head said that information obtained by his union indicates that the Enmore Estate will not operate from next year, mainly because mechanisms are not in place to keep the facility functional.
During last week, Minister of State Joseph Harmon revealed that the white paper included plans to have lands made available to sugar workers and cane farmers to undertake agro-based activities.
But Chand told Guyana Times that while this may be a well-intentioned initiative, it has to be done in a manner that does not affect the workers employment.
“When they talk about giving lands to farmers, where is the plan? You have already dislocated 1700 workers there (Wales Estate). So, where is the plan?” he posited.
The GAWU President has described the move by Government to gradually close the industry as “unconscionable” and “anti-working class,” which, he said will not only affect hundreds more, but thousands of workers who have spent all their lives in the industry.
Another area of discussion that is contained in the white paper is the feasibility of merging some of the sugar estates and factories where appropriate, and selling off some facilities.
The draft white paper on the sugar industry’s future was submitted by Agriculture Minister Noel Holder to Cabinet for its consideration on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. Cabinet discussed the proposals in the draft white paper and subsequently granted its approval for the document to be laid in the National Assembly.
The white paper follows a process of overhauling of the industry which includes a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), the subsequent setting up of a special Task Force to look at options, on the way forward for the sugar company.
Finance Minister Winston Jordan in his presentation of the 2017 Budget had indicated the status quo of the sugar industry can neither be sustained nor maintained.
According to him, as currently structured, the industry would require Government’s support to the tune of $18.6 billion and $21.4 billion for the years 2017 and 2018, respectively.
The Minister had explained that based on the CoI, it was concluded that any money injected into sugar, in its current state, is money wasted.