The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) yesterday denied that sugar was unaccounted for from the Rose Hall estate but said there had been an overstatement by 243 tonnes and two persons were dismissed as a result.
It was the corporation’s first reaction to a news item in the September 15 Sunday Stabroek which had said that 240 tonnes of sugar could not be accounted for.
Referring to questions raised by APNU+AFC Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Vinceroy Jordan in yesterday’s edition of Stabroek News, GuySuCo said “Mr. Jordan also spoke of missing sugar at Rose Hall. The Corporation is tired of his false claim, specifically since there was no issue of missing sugar. However, what had occurred was a major breach in the standard operating procedure for sugar declaration (over a period of time), which resulted in an over declaration. This was deemed as a serious misconduct, which led to the dismissal of the Production Manager and the Head Laboratory Technician”.
GuySuCo had never made such a disclosure before.
In a separate release responding to an editorial in yesterday’s Kaieteur News on this matter, GuySuCo said: “Addressing the erroneous claim regarding the `theft of sugar at Rose Hall Estate,’ the ministry wants to make it clear that no theft has occurred. An audit revealed an overstatement of sugar production by 243 tonnes, resulting from serious breaches of standard operating procedures. Appropriate disciplinary actions have been taken against responsible staff.
“This was shown from an audit conducted of the estate’s first crop sugar production in 2024. This audit is an established practice of the corporation at all estates at the conclusion of each crop to verify the accuracy of the sugar declared by the estates”.
On Thursday workers were informed that the estate’s production manager and the head lab technician had been let go. They were also informed of the person who would be replacing the production manager.
Factory workers after being informed of the replacement for the production manager became annoyed as they claimed that that person was previously stationed at the estate prior to its closure and was accused of turning a blind eye to the dumping of sugar and damaging of canes.
Factory workers who were on shift on Thursday evening turned up to the estate but then proceeded to strike, while the same happened on Friday morning.
A representative for the workers, Gairaj Ramotar, had explained that “we get to understand them knock off two man… Now them bring one man (name given) to take over but that man work at Rose Hall Estate, he close down this estate and them bring he back. He a the man who stick this cane and when the man tell he no, them knock off that man, one set of story and he make the estate close… He work with them to close the estate. Them workers say them na want he here.”
Additionally, Ramotar said, that they were not fully informed as to the reasons behind the firing of the two staff. He stressed, “Abbay na want that man here, that’s why abbay deh out here.”
Based on information gathered on Friday, a handful of workers along with a representative met with the industrial relations manager at the estate, while sources at GAWU on Saturday maintained that the union does not have a say on the placement of managers within the corporation. The Rose Hall estate reopened only in September of 2023 after being shut under the Granger administration in 2017.
