The Guyana Sugar Corpora-tion Inc. said yesterday that it fired nine employees attached to the Enmore Sugar Factory who were found to have stolen several items from the LBI factory.
According to a GuySuCo press release, the employment of the workers was terminated following a thorough investigation and established disciplinary procedure.
On Friday, February 17 the employees were sent to the LBI factory with specific instructions to uplift a quantity of lumber and carrier slats for use at the Enmore factory.
During their time inside the factory, the release noted, the men were observed by security personnel loading several cast-iron structures (firesides) onto a tractor drawn trailer and when questioned they said that they had permission from a senior GuySuCo official, but this later proved to be false.
The security personnel later contacted the security department at the LBI compound who began following the movements of the tractor and trailer the men were using. When they were subsequently stopped as they were about to exit the LBI compound the driver produced a consignment note for the 13 pieces of hardwood and 12 carrier slats they were instructed to uplift and did not disclose any other item.
However, the security team discovered several other items that included four metal firesides, one heavy duty vice, one transformer and electrical components which the employees were not authorized to remove.
The employees were then detained and checks inside the factory disclosed that some eight feet of 18-inch steel pipe was cut off from the pipe which conveys hot water to the factory which were used to make the four firesides.
The metal panel which houses the transformer was burnt open with a cutting torch and the transformer removed while a metal fuse box was burnt open and three fuses were removed, causing a total cut off of electricity to parts of the factory, the release stated.
Meanwhile, GuySuCo is urging all employees to report any instances of malpractice on the worksite as such instances adds up to severely affect the operations of the sugar industry annually, the release concluded.
