Berbice braces for economic hardships

…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.

“What will we do?” was the common question from those who stand to lose their jobs. The business community is already bracing itself for the backlash of GuySuCo’s action.
One businesswoman said that it was really sad to see so many persons lose their jobs while noting that the community was already seeing a decline in spending. She explained that GuySuCo was the only entity that provided jobs for those in the Reliance/Abandon area in East Canje, and the closure of the Rose Hall factory would shift the residents further into poverty.
“It is really sad and it really affecting us, because business gone slow and this Christmas season ah come up and people are depressed now and what little money they got now, they got to provide food. New Amsterdam hardly got people and work nah deh and it will get harder…it got people with loans and bills and children to go to school; how them go survive?,” the woman asked.
The businesswoman said she would feel sorry and helpless when she thinks about the plight of housewives who are now left to worry about their families.
Meanwhile, Seunarine Persaud related that he felt discriminated against because he was the oldest member of his team and was the first to get his redundancy letter. He explained that he has given 30 years of service to the Rose Hall factory, adding that there were approximately 40 persons in his team with only 11 receiving redundancy letters. “What about the people with children in high school…?” he lamented.
Persaud is adamant that the Estate has the capacity to continue operations, pointing out that there are canes that have been burnt and just left there to rot. Given the current economic woes being experienced, Persaud said “next year, it will get more heavy” and worsen.
He added that businesses in New Amsterdam, the economic hub of the county, were already laying off workers as opposed to hiring for the Christmas season. He questioned whether there was any plan in place for them.
Many of the workers are also accusing the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) of doing very little to address their concerns, since the Union is yet to have a meeting with the laid-off workers.
The plight of the sugar workers took centre stage during the Budget 2018 debate in the National Assembly last week. The Opposition accused the Government of having no clear and direct plan for the workers.