The majority of Canje residents who were laid off due to the closure of the Rose Hall Estate in 2017, are hopeful that the estate will be reopened as soon as possible under the new PPP/C administration, in keeping with the party’s manifesto promise.
Glen McLeod, 58, of Canefield Settlement, stated last week that after he was let go it took him one year to secure other employment. “Only this morning that come to my thought and I remember going to the street head and seeing about ten men stand up and asking where we gonna get work.”
According to the man, with his salary from the estate he was able to cover his mortgage, pay his bills, purchase his groceries and maintain some savings.
However, now with his current salary he is barely able to cover his necessary bills. “It’s just because you need a job and I needed to get a job as quick as possible so I needed to take what come and I become a security.”
McLeod, who had worked at the estate for over 22 years before being let go, stated that for the last three years he has not been able to make any improvements to his house. “What I use to earn from GuySuCo I’m not even making that a fortnight now. You see how my fence left, I ain’t even gutter my house, all of that was a part of the plans – three years now and I ain’t even touch it.”
He acknowledged that they still haven’t fully grasped how quickly the closure of the estate became a reality, “What hurt us is that when they were making us redundant and taking us off the job we were asking about age and they said age doesn’t matter,” adding that older workers were still severed from the estate.
Meanwhile, he stressed that not only himself and family would benefit from the reopening of the Rose Hall estate but rather the entire Canje community. “I’ve been living in Berbice from since 1992 and all I have, all I have attained, all I have achieved is from GuySuCo.”
And as the father of seven plainly stated, “GuySuCo gave me a wife, gave me a home, and gave me a reason to live.”
McLeod let it be known that the closure of the Rose Hall Estate has thrown the Canje community into poverty, hunger and anger. “It’s not only the sugar workers who alone were affected, you got to look at the shop man, the hire-car drivers, the fish vendor and the greens vendor and these people have family.”
In terms of COVID-19, McLeod said he is extremely grateful that his employment was not affected for a second time.
He noted that majority of the persons in his community have been adhering to the restrictions, but feels greater effort needs to be made to educate the residents.
Angela Lakeram, 28, a mother of three young children, explained that after about two years her husband was able to gain employment with Anderson Enterprise, a private SPU contractor.
She admitted it was tough to manage but she ensured that her children remained in school and had all the necessities despite their circumstances. “What ever little you get you got to try with. Me make sure me send them to school because me want them get them education,” she declared. She related that since her three children are home from school due to COVID-19 measures, she has ensured that they are kept up to date with their school work via the internet.
This disciplined mom also ensures that they wash their hands regularly.
Lakeram, who hails from Canefield Settlement, East Canje Berbice, added, “We waiting to hear but if the estate reopen, me go be so happy because me husband go get back one job and abie go get lil more money so me can afford to send them a lesson and so.”
Another resident, Harridatt Madhu, 30, of Gangaram Village, East Canje Berbice, explained that he had only worked for one year at the estate when the closure was announced, so he was laid off without receiving any severance pay. “Me couldn’t get pay off and then me take one good time to find another job.”
`Fine fine work’
“Me had to start look fa fine fine work to pay bills and then me start work with the Anderson Enterprise and me happy for that but me glad if the estate reopen back,” he said.
Meanwhile, Madhu said that since it was out of crop he continued to do small jobs around his community and is now looking forward to turn out back to work for the new crop with the private contractor.
Speaking to Ramdat Darmu, 54, of Adelphi Village, he explained that he worked at the estate for 27 years after which he was laid off. “After a while me get one watchman work so me a get one two-day and four-day work but the work na work up so we waiting for them to give back abie work – me gun go back.”
“It hard, hard, hard, hard because only me alone a work and maintain all body in the house,” the father of three lamented.
Deonarine Rambindranauth stated that he worked at the estate from since 1984 and never expected that he would have lost his job before retirement, “Me been really want work through and me still want work back now. Me na work back yet and is 31 months now.”
He added, “It really tough. It tough bad, nobody na come around here. People only a come around and give one set a people thing but me want to work.”
He stressed that while some severed sugar workers have secured employment elsewhere, everyone is hoping that the Rose Hall Estate will be reopened. “Because we using the payoff (severance) money we get so we hoping it open as fast as possible.”
Distraught
Meanwhile, Rookmanie Nowrang, a mother of two, explained, that when her husband lost his job she was extremely distraught. “It is hard, very hard when he na been a work because me got two kids and then you got to get the food side and then abie a live pon renting house and then we does got to use the trench water a back deh,” she relayed. She disclosed, “When he get he pay off we use the money to pay out one set of rent so we could a live and then lil bit money he had in the bank abie had to use it out and now we na get no money.”
“He a work with private right now and thank God he get to work, na matter how it lil bit we got to try. We na even get current or water here.”
The woman said that she hopes to one day secure a plot of land where they can build their own house.
Her husband is also the father of seven other children who he maintains. “Lil hamper abie does collect that abie does use,” she said. Another resident, Laljit Jagroo, 52, also of East Canje Berbice and a father of two, stated that it took him about 18 months to secure other employment after being let go from the estate. The bills start to come so me had to try keep up with it and find lil lil job.” He added, “Now we working with Anderson Enterprise, we grateful but is a less than we been working at the estate. We really a try. Although the times hard we a try. After 32 years’ service it was really sad to lost my job but now I want see this government do something and let the young people benefit.”
Another severed sugar worker, Rajindranauth Ramoutar, explained that after he was let go he immediately began to look for other jobs, as he refused to have his bills pile up.
He said, after sometime he was able to secure employment with a security company in New Amsterdam. However, he acknowledged that the reduction in salary is something he and his family had to adjust to. “We trying but right now we hoping the estate open back and if them take me I will go.” Meanwhile, since the closure, the Rose Hall estate Friday Market quickly disappeared, as vendors were forced to relocate to other markets or sell out of their homes due to a reduction in sales. A walk around the Rose Hall estate shows punts, trailers, water carts, and other machinery left to rot, while several of the trenches which were used to transport punts in and out of the factory are now weed-clogged.
Taking this into consideration, the residents say that they are still hoping that the estate will be reopened. One resident from Betsy Ground Village, East Canje Berbice, summed it up simply, “We does get sad when we see them things but we know they will do it.”
