— as recruiting exercise commences for Rose Hall estate

THE community of East Canje, East Berbice-Corentyne, which was rendered a ghost town with the closure of the Rose Hall Estate in 2017 by the APNU+AFC administration, is now abuzz with optimism and promise of a brighter future.

On Thursday, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) commenced their recruitment drive to fill their roster for the 2022 re-opening.

The exercise was held at the Rose Hall Estate compound on Thursday and commenced at 07:30 hrs and upon conclusion at 16:15 hrs, 113 persons had gained employment.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, several persons, many of whom were former workers of the estate said they are now eagerly counting down the days until they can return to work and get steady incomes to support their families.

Rajpaul Jaggai, 48, of Overwinning Village was among over 1181 employees whose services were severed due to the closure of the estate by the APNU+AFC Coalition Government.

He said finding a stable job over the past years has been very difficult; he feels his dream is becoming a reality.

Jaggai, who is a father of two, is temporarily employed by a private entity but he is hopeful he can be among the staff at the Rose Hall Estate once more.

“It was bitter-sweet for me when I was retrenched. I took a while before I found a proper job. I had to resort to anything I could find to get an income. I even did grass-cutting. From what I see here today it’s promising and I am happy to be here today, because I know with GuySuCo, me and my family future is secured,” he said.

Akesh Rambarran, 22, of Cumberland, East Canje and a father of one who has been working in the construction industry like Jaggai, is looking for job stability and has applied to work in the planting gang.

“I have seen what others were able to achieve while they worked with GuySuCo but since the estate close down, things hard and me barely getting work but now I really glad it going to open back cause I have a chance to make a proper future for my family if I get through with the job,” he said.

Rudolph Fawcett, a former cane harvester, said he saw the call for re-employment and decided to apply and is hoping he is considered.

“It means well for me because I am not working and to feel that safe with job security is great. I haven’t had that feeling since I left GuySuCo and it caused me to be worried all the time, but if I can get in again I will have peace of mind and be a happy man,” he said.

Hirmati Devi Indrapal, 50, of Reliance Settlement, East Canje  has never been employed in her life but has for the past few years been seeking steady employment but was unsuccessful.

She related that the her situation has gotten from bad to worse and she is in need of a job in order to meet her needs and sees the opportunity at GuySuCo as the option for her.

“I am now 50 and looking to get into the work field, I heard and seen stories of GuySuCo and I believe that is my best option; it doesn’t matter what job, cleaning or anything I gonna take it cause I look all over for work and nobody is hiring cause this time too hard. If I get this work, I know me and many others will make Canje better that what it was before because the estate is what keeps this place alive,” she said.