…Problem faced by corporation for some time now
Police may charge a Guyana Sugar Corporation employee with theft, since a number of items, including chemicals, were found at his home, after a small portion was discovered on his person during a search.
Sources at the corporation told Guyana Chronicle that on Monday, the worker , employed as a washer/cleaner at the Chemical Bond at Skeldon, was found with one litre of 2,4-D (herbicide) by Estate Security.
According to the source, the worker had boarded a lorry to go home, when workers complained of high chemical scent. The workers disembarked and a security watchman was called to check the bags of each person. The chemical was found in the food bag belonging to the employee.
He was questioned and taken to the Springlands Police Station, where he was handed over to the police, and was kept in custody.
The police and the Estate Security, along with the worker, went on Tuesday to his residence and conducted a search. The officers found several chemicals on the premises; they are as follows : seven lbs rat bait (klerat and storm), three  1 litre bottles Round up, two  20 ounce bottles Round up, ten lbs white lime, one 140 g Merlin bottle containing black paint. The man is likely to be charged and placed before the courts, the source informed this newspaper.
The source said that because of the logistics on the ground, it is almost sometimes impossible to guard against instances such as these, especially when workers take fertilizers and insecticides in the fields to execute their duties.
“In some cases, to reduce their workload or if they have a grouse, they would dump their fertilizers or insecticides in the water ways,” the source informed the Guyana Chronicle.
The person said that workers could easily hide the material in the fields and given that the estates are easily accessible, through many roads linking villages and other farmlands, especially in the backlands, they can return in the evening without being noticed and collect same.
“This is the monumental challenge, more so given the fact that these items are extremely expensive,” the Guysuco source said.
The person said however that there has been a concerted effort by management to deal with issues such as these, which in the end has a financial impact on the budget of the Corporation.
“It is the hope that by giving this some prominence, it many help to deter others who are engaging in the same practice,” the person said.