– Minister Gaskin
– blames bad investments, management, leadership for current state

CHEERS rang out at the GuySuCo Enmore Estate staff compound when Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin declared that the downfall of the sugar industry had nothing to do with the current government, but that the closure of the estates was a result of bad investments, bad management and bad leadership.

Gaskin also announced Friday morning that retrenched sugar workers will begin to receive their severance pay from Monday, January 29, 2018.

The Minister of Business was amongst five Cabinet ministers who visited the East Demerara Estate at Enmore, East Coast Demerara.

The ministerial delegation included Minister of Public Telecommunication Cathy Hughes; Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix; Junior Minister of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes; Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin and Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan.

Government ministers who spoke indicated that government was financing a number of initiatives to help sugar workers find alternative self-employment opportunities. An estimated 4, 000 workers were made redundant by GuySuCo on December 29, 2017.
The National Assembly on January 19, 2018, approved $1.9 billion to pay the first tranche of severance.

Gaskin said although government’s plan was criticised by the political opposition, it was proposed that the PPP submit a better plan for which they requested certain information.

Underscoring how hypocritical the opposition was in playing games with the livelihoods of sugar workers, Gaskin said all documents requested were provided and further meetings had produced no plans on behalf of the PPP.

However, the Business Minister said that NAACIE and GAWU put forward a plan, “and there was no plan from the political opposition and I think it is important that you know this, in the years 2011 to 2014 the then administration would have transferred $16B to GuySuCo without a plan.”

Gaskin said that internationally, sugar had failed and government was putting systems in place to ensure that there were opportunities for sugar workers to be re-employed or trained in marketable skillsets.

Under his ministry, Gaskin said the Small Business Bureau (SBB) has been targeting sugar workers with workshops that can teach former GuySuCo employees basic aspects of running a business, business plans, financing and how to access bank loans.

“The small business bureau has also been granted $100M to establish a revolving loan fund and that fund will be used to target the most vulnerable, including those that just lost their jobs,” Minister Gaskin said.

He noted that government has implemented and continues to implement systems to ensure that persons who lost their jobs are afforded the opportunity to earn an income.

“In a growing economy there will definitely be jobs available, sectors such as construction, transportation, food industry amongst others will all grow and require a large workforce, so do not despair and listen to the prophets of doom and gloom,” Gaskin advised hundreds of current and former sugar workers.