— as champion sugar workers honoured

By Telesha Ramnarine

NO number of challenges – not even the political roller-coaster ride that they were taken on when factories were shut and loss of income was the order of the day – could persuade the sincere, hardworking employees of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) into leaving the industry.
It is mainly for this reason that for the first time after six years, 95 out of the 1,940 GuySuCo employees, who were described as the very backbone of the industry, were honoured for their rich and highly valued contributions in the sector. Each of the 95 employees gave more than 40 years of their lives toward building Guyana’s sugar industry, and their love for the work has evidently made up for the rigorous conditions that they have often had to endure out in the fields.

Zakir Alli Khan, for example, was just 17 years old when he joined GuySuCo to take up a rather menial job. “All me life done ah estate. I do all sort of wuk. Meh start with throwing manure, meh wuk ah plow field, meh cut cane, meh been ah do ramp attendant wuk; dah wan nada hard wuk, throw boad (boards) for the cane cutter them walk. Meh wuk hard in duh industry,” he told Guyana Chronicle just after collecting his token of appreciation.
With this job, Khan said he has been able to build, save a bit, and help his two children with their wedding expenses. What he is especially proud of is the fact that not once has he ever been disqualified, nor has he left the company to do anything else. “Meh wuk through all de problems.”
Rudolph Tappin was recognised for 43 years of service to GuySuCo at the Blairmont Estate. Starting in 1977, he recalled that things seemed challenging at first, but with the right attitude and willingness to learn, he grew on the job.

REALLY NICE

When he first went into the estate, he met a lot of older men, and so he asked them many questions and they no doubt saw that he wanted to learn. And so they taught him as he moved his way up in the company. “It was really nice to be here today to have this award,” he said. The ‘long service awards’ ceremony took place on Tuesday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara, where 20 employees of the Albion Estate were recognised; 46 from the Blairmont Estate; 24 from Uitvlugt and five from the head office. Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, was on hand to deliver the feature address, in the presence of GuySuCo Chairman, Pravinchandra Dave; Chief Executive Officer, Sasenarine Singh; and Estate Manager, Threbhowan Shiwprasad, among other officers.
“I want to reiterate from a Government perspective that sugar is here to stay. We will revitalise GuySuCo and the communities, and will ensure that GuySuCo once again prospers,” the minister assured.

GuySuCo, he charged, must be seen as more than a sugar production company, especially as it has been a major provider of community health care, drainage and irrigation services, and welfare facilities. Mustapha noted that more than 5,000 sugar workers will shortly be rehired to run those estates that are being reopened. The rehiring process has already started and for 2020 so far, over 750 persons got back their jobs.  The minister challenged GuySuCo to tap into the Caribbean market which has potential for the company to export over 200,000 tonnes of sugar. While the capacity is there in CARICOM, the company will need to look at diversifying its products and producing more value added ones so as to make full use of export opportunities. “Our government has the confidence that GuySuCo will turn around. The government is committed to addressing the problems of the industry. We have been putting out expressions of interests to establish private sector partnerships in the sugar sector and lend support to private cane farmers,” Mustapha said.

MUST VISIT THE FIELDS
He told those in charge to work closely with the workers and look into the management styles at the various estates. “Gone are the days when managers feel they are little lords at these estates,” he said, adding that managers ought to ensure that they regularly visit in the fields rather than sit in their offices and look at cane on a computer. The Chief Executive Officer pointed out that since the new government was installed, three new estate managers were appointed at Enmore, Rose Hall, and Skeldon, respectively, to start the process of reopening the estates and to take the industry up the value chain. “GuySuCo is opened for business,” he said.
One of the challenges that have been plaguing the company is a weakened and demoralised management team, Singh observed. As a consequence, as of last August, the

Albion sugar mill was taking 18 tonnes of cane to produce one tonne of sugar. Today, thanks to the workers, it is taking an average of 12 tonnes of cane to do the same job, with even better days when only 10.9 would be needed. “You are the heart and soul of the sugar industry,” Singh expressed to the workers, adding, “I have seen created fixes and solutions that you have crafted with your own hands and with little money. You are the best that Guyana has to offer. It takes a special human being to stick with any job this long.” Meanwhile, Martin Captain, who has spent his 41 years on the job cutting cane, said it felt great to be honoured. “I love it,” he said, especially, the flexibility that the job affords. Sarwan Singh, too, of Williamsburg Squatting Area, Corentyne, devoted 41 years of his life to the industry. He admitted that, at times, things became hard on the job, but it never gave him a good enough reason to leave at any time.