With reports of problems piling up at the Skeldon factory the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) yesterday called on the sugar corporation to consider shutting it down until the costly defects are remedied.
GAWU, in a short statement, said that operations at the factory have worsened over the past few days. The union observed that a shutdown will save the corporation millions of “much needed dollars”.
Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Paul Bhim has acknowledged that the problems at the factory are many. He told Stabroek News on Tuesday that the factory had been hit by a string of problems, but that they are being addressed.
GAWU said performance at Skeldon has deteriorated significantly, pointing out that the factory went from crushing 210 tonnes of cane per hour to between 90 and 120 tonnes owing to “severe worn-out hammers and leaking boiler tubes”.
According to the union, the factory was expected to be down for another 12 hours yesterday as repairs on the lone boiler and hammers started yesterday around 6 am. GAWU added that 800 punts of canes were paralysed in the dock and another 600 punts which were being transported to the factory would also be held up in the dock until the factory resumes operations.
GuySuCo finally reached 200,000 tonnes yesterday after struggling with production all year, but problems persist at the Skeldon factory. The corporation is averaging around 8,000 tonnes a week in total production, which falls below the required 10,000 tonnes. GuySuCo is hoping to get to 250,000 tonnes by year end, but GAWU has said that “it is not possible”.
GuySuCo met union representatives yesterday as wages talks continued, but GAWU left the meeting disappointed because the corporation is holding firm to its initial conditional offer of a five per cent maximum increase across the board.
“They continue to make an offer tied to an unrealistic production target, we know that they cannot make 250,000 tonnes by year end…it is not possible,” union President Komal Chand told Stabroek News yesterday. He said the union is disappointed and that the next step involves meeting sugar workers and deciding on the way forward.
Chand said a more realistic target is 230,000 tonnes, adding that the offer by the corporation is effectively “no offer” based on what is happening with production. Last year’s production amounted to 233,733 tonnes. The union will meet the corporation again in another few days to decide on a pay hike for workers.
GuySuCo has proposed a conditional five per cent increase in wages and salaries to workers as long as the industry hits 270,000 tonnes; the corporation has plans to roll the second crop over to January with indications that it is willing to go into February.
GuySuCo is also offering a three per cent increase across the board if production falls between 269,000 and 264,000 tonnes, and should it dip below 250,000 tonnes the corporation has proposed a one-off, non-sustainable increase of two per cent.
But while GAWU has dismissed the corporation’s goal of reaching 250,000 tonnes in December, Bhim said it is possible. He told Stabroek News on Tuesday that sufficient cane is in the ground to meet the target.
