Dear Editor,
I read in dismay yet again in yesterday’s Sunday Stabroek the futile effort the Honourable Minister of Agriculture is making in trying to salvage an industry for which the problems are so obvious. The minister seems to be unaware that it is the staff members of Guysuco and not the workers who would normally purchase alcohol at the staff club on the estates. Drug abuse is indeed a problem in some sections of our community but how many of those cases are related to alcohol consumed on the estates? How ridiculous! If he now orders an alcohol-free zone on the estate what will be the anticipated increased production and how will this reduce the impact of the EU price
cut? Come on Minister you need to address the core of the problem in GUYSUCO.
The estates are grinding seven days a week in crop but a worker is only required to work four days to be entitled to all the benefits so the worker has enough time on his hand to engage in social activity and this is one of the main reasons for drug abuse and related domestic problems. The four days qualification has changed the whole culture of the sugar industry putting additional pressure on those who have to manage to find additional people to deliver, leading also to an industry carrying an employment cost of 60%. Changing managers and introducing a new management structure simply put is dealing with the symptoms rather that the problem itself.
The leadership of the main union in Guysuco needs to come on board to readily accept drastic changes for its members or sad to say we will all end up without a sugar industry.
Yours faithfully,
R. Singh
