Managers and staff from all of GuySuCo’s locations are to hold a protest against NICIL’s expected takeover of the Corporation as tension between the two sides over control of what remains of the sugar industry continues to escalate.
GuySuCo sources say that the protest action is planned for December 20th and 21st, 2018. Some employees will stage a sit-in on those days while others will assemble at various periods outside of GuySuCo’s locations.
Sources at GuySuCo say that there is a general opinion among managers and staff that government holding company, National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) is not working in the best interest of GuySuCo and that a NICIL takeover will further destabilize the Corporation and the country.
The discord between GuySuCo and NICIL is seen as deeply embarrassing to the government.
Managers and staff say that they hope that the protest action will result in the following:
* An intervention from senior levels of government to order NICIL to revert to the purpose for its involvement in the sugar industry which is to divest four of GuySuCo’s estates – Wales, Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon. It is unclear what progress is being made here.
* That the Vesting Order of GuySuCo’s assets to NICIL be rescinded.
* An end be brought to the continuous interference of NICIL in GuySuCo’s operations.
* That challenges in the matter with regards to the financial support from the divestment of GuySuCo’s assets from the four estates- Wales, Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon be resolved.
* That NICIL’s Special Purpose Unit (SPU), which was to oversee privatization of the estates be disbanded.
Sources say that Managers and staff are contending that they have worked very hard in 2018 to improve the performance of the Corporation, to the extent to which the target for the year was surpassed and they will be paid a bonus, not from Government subsidies but from sales.
They say they have also devised a plan to transform the Corporation which NICIL is aware of. Managers and staff, the source said, are at a loss to understand the behaviour of NICIL which they say seems to be contrary to supporting the revitalization of GuySuCo.
The managers and staff are calling on supporters of GuySuCo to show their support on December 20th and 21st 2018 with a message ‘We support GuySuCo’. They said his could be done on social media, mainstream media, visiting various locations for the GuySuCo on those two days or otherwise.
Earlier this month, Senior managers asked GuySuCo’s Chief Execu-tive Officer Dr Harold Davis Jr to move to suspend the company’s relations with the SPU set up by government to divest its assets, citing a turbulent relationship that they say has undermined its business over the last year and a half.
The managers had then also recommended that the SPU be evicted from GuySuCo’s LBI Com-pound, unless it agrees to comply with the policies under which the sugar company operates.
“This situation has reached a highly unacceptable stage and therefore requires immediate intervention from all relevant authorities,” an extract of the letter, dated December 4th, 2018, which was seen by this newspaper, states.
“We would like to state that since the establishment of the Special Purpose Unit in August, 2017, the relationship with GuySuCo has been one of much turbulence, disrespect, unprofessionalism and some activities have even bordered on illegality. We are of the strong view that the situation has deteriorated to a state where the Ministry of Finance, as the principal agency for NICIL/SPU now has to take the necessary actions to ensure that the NICIL/ SPU operates in a manner in keeping with accepted professional norms and practices…,” it added.
Clashes over the use of the club is just one of the many complaints made by the GuySuCo managers, who say their staffers have been subjected to disrespect by the SPU, which they have accused of authoritarian behaviour and unprofessionalism.
The most recent incident over the use of the facility occurred last month, when the SPU reportedly organised a Bar-B-Q to which members of the public were invited. However, GuySuCo’s security personnel at the premises were given instructions not to allow members of the public into the compound.
The letter stated that a staff member of the SPU proceeded to the main entrance and personally opened the gate, disregarding the instructions of the security and allowed members of the public into the compound.
