Dear Editor,
I HAVE read with great disappointment about the decision of the Roraima Airways group to place its staffers on no-pay leave for as long as three (3) months. For those poor workers, it must have been a painful blow as they contemplate how to meet life’s expectations, among the new burdens they must now carry. As someone who also faced the reality of joblessness following the recent closure of sugar estates in Guyana, I am aware of the sadness that stares them in the face, and they have my sincerest sympathy.

I did see the company’s owner explaining, in the media, that he was faced with no choice, lest the business folds up altogether. I must admit that I take that explanation somewhat skeptically. I say so, bearing in mind that over the years, the company has accumulated profits. Some would have been re-invested in capital replacement and expansion, and some, I believe, would have been put aside for a rainy day, as is the case now. I contend that no private enterprise would operate for prolonged periods while being in the red; it simply defies the logic of capitalist operations. Those profits that were accrued came on the sweat and efforts of those workers who will now be condemned to at least a quarter of this year without any income.

Any company mindful of its employees’ welfare, and in recognition of their straits, would find some novel way to assist them, using some of the accumulated profits it would have recorded over the years. I hasten to point out that in this time of crisis, we all need to band together and assist each other in difficult times. Guyanese are known for their charitableness, and it is said charity begins at home.

On this note, I wish to appeal to the Roraima Group, particularly Captain Gouveia, to look at this matter with a human face. Now is the time your employees need help, and they are depending on you not to let them down.

Regards,
Porandatt Narine