-President says coalition inherited a moribund industry, working to restructure it

THE A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) on Friday has committed to securing the livelihood of the 10,000 sugar workers still employed by GuySuCo as it continues its programme of restructuring the industry.

The local sugar industry has been in turmoil for years, failing to recover its cost of production and even failing to make a profit, but President of Guyana and Presidential Candidate of APNU+AFC, David Granger, has said that his government is restructuring the industry to save the jobs of 10,000 persons. “We inherited a moribund industry and we are restructuring it to ensure that the jobs of those 10,000 people will be preserved…we will produce or create an industry based on 147,000 tonnes of sugar and save the jobs of the majority of the sugar workers,” said President Granger during the launch of the coalition’s manifesto, on Friday.

The APNU+AFC coalition, after being elected to office in 2015, had conducted a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the sugar industry and had published a “white paper” based on the recommendations. Subsequent to the COI, the government had sat down, “face-to-face,” with the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) and made a “serious” decision, and according to President Granger, through that decision, the government was able to save the jobs of 10,000 persons.

In 2017, the APNU+AFC Administration took a decision to consolidate cultivation at the Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt Estates, all in an attempt to reduce losses and increase profitability within sugar industry. The government had announced the closure of several sugar estates; initially the Wales sugar estate was named as the first to be closed one year after it was announced for closure.

The move by the government triggered protests led by pro-People’s Progressive Party (PPP) leaders who joined ranks with GAWU leaders on the West Demerara and later in the city. Later several other estates in the Berbice belt were closed and these were also cited as being too costly to run. The opposition protested the move once more although the government made it clear that annual multi-billion dollar bailouts to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) were hurting the economy.

But the move by the coalition government was an undertaking which was forecast and made known to the PPP-government way back in 1996 when the “gloomy future” of the sugar industry was written in black and white. According to the draft National Development Strategy (NDS) of 1996, steps were urgently needed to be put into action and downsizing of the industry was suggested so that its sales could have been made profitable.

“Driving past the East Bank you will see, what used to be cane is now housing and it was the PPP who shut down production in much of East Demerara…GAWU even had to take the corporation to court to get severance pay from Diamond,” said President Granger, noting that the shutting down of the sugar industry started comprehensively under the PPP, but certain parts of the industry can be saved. And, the coalition government, over the past four and a half years, has taken certain measures to ensure that the sugar industry does not sink.

“If anyone went into the Albion sugar factory, you would understand what we took over; it is not easy, and I admire the staff and workers and cane harvesters who had to work under those conditions…we are the ones who started the restructuring,” said President Granger.
The president believes that the APNU+AFC government has done ‘far more’ in terms of the “rational restructuring” of the industry than the previous administration and has not been taken to court by GAWU.

Speaking about the government’s work in the industry, the president said: “We established a strong East Berbice, West Demerara and West Berbice sugar industry…three mega estates are working and the jobs of about 10,000 harvesters have been preserved.”

Additionally, many persons, whose jobs were terminated when the estates were closed, were re-employed at other estates. “Many people in Wales have found jobs at Uitvlugt and many of them from East Canjie are working at Albion…there are jobs but the turnout is about 56 per cent,” said President Granger, adding that government will continue to ensure that sugar workers are gainfully employed or have the means to sustain their own livelihood.

One such measure is the potential establishment of a State Land Resettlement Commission which will enable former sugar workers to access land for agriculture and housing. Former sugar workers from Wales have already started to access land at the former Wales Sugar Estate.

Guyana Chronicle had reported that President Granger assured thousands of Berbicians that the coalition government will return the once ailing sugar industry to profitability, if re-elected for a second term in office. “I know the pain the sugar workers feel, but the sugar industry the PPP gave us could not be sustained,” he said.

His Administration, he assured the residents, will do everything in its power to protect and preserve the industry by keeping estates such as Albion fully functional. President Granger had said, while his Administration is investing in the three remaining estates, the Skeldon Factory – one of the largest projects to have been executed by the previous administration – cannot be salvaged. He said to invest in that factory would be to “waste” taxpayers’ money.

“The sugar industry was in difficulties, even when we were in opposition, the APNU+AFC were helping to bail out the sugar industry but unfortunately that blue monument at Skeldon cannot be bailed out, it scrapped,” President Granger said.

To cushion the impact, he said his Administration has been and will continue to work with sugar workers and those who would have been displaced. “The East-Berbice Corentyne sugar estate based at Albion will be preserved and protected by the APNU+AFC Administration,” he iterated.

“The APNU+AFC coalition is going to protect the livelihoods of the people now living in the squatter settlements and it will protect the livelihoods of the workers who are no longer working in the sugar industry to make sure they can get gainful employment by working for themselves or working for other people on those abandoned sugar cane lands, this is what we are doing for the people to help workers and households in the East Berbice-Corentyne,” he said to loud rounds of applause.