…following layoff of hundreds of sugar workers
With more than 400 persons scheduled to be out of a job come January 1, the county of Berbice is now bracing itself for additional economic hardships since there is a lack of opportunities for employment within the county.

Although the Government indicated that it was holding off on closure of the Rose Hall Estate, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) still went ahead and issued over 400 redundancy letters to workers, leaving them to ponder their next move.
In May 2017, the Government announced plans to close the Enmore and Rose Hall Sugar Estates, sell the Skeldon Sugar Factory, reduce the annual production of sugar, and take on the responsibility of managing the drainage and irrigation services offered by GuySuCo. Several protest actions followed this announcement.
Over the weekend, Guyana Times International visited the Rose Hall area and spoke to many of the workers and the business community about the impact of the callous move by the Corporation. The common concern was the lack of jobs within Berbice and also the age factor of those who lost their jobs.
“I cannot go to any other estate and get work, so me got to look fuh a job. With me age it is hard to get a job,” 45-year-old Rakesh Megnauth told this publication.
Megnauth told this newspaper that he had been employed with GuySuCo for more than 13 years in the Pest Control Department and was in physical pain when he and his gang of over 200 persons received their redundancy letters.
“This place nah got wuk fuh we. Brother, you see when I get me letter, I want cry but me tek am and went to the meeting. Them man tell the whole of C-Gang that we will get the severance and some ah them man got wife and small children; so tell me what dem go do?” he questioned.

“things really hard” and
“business slow” in Berbice

