By Tracey Khan – Drakes
[www.inewsguyana.com] – The Opposition Political Parties – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) have come out in condemnation of GuySuco’s approach in dealing with the ongoing industrial action that started at the Skeldon Sugar factory and managed to spread to the Albion and Rose Hall Estates in Berbice.
The strike is as a result of an incident between the Estate Manager and an employee on Friday last which saw the Manager immediately dismissing the employee without any due process.
APNU’s newly appointed General Secretary, Joseph Harmon during an interview with iNews today questioned why the sugar industry’s management is bent on protecting one person which is the Estate Manager, Dave Kumar at the expense of the economy and the people of Berbice.
“Why can’t they just call in that Estate Manager and say to him ‘look you have caused this entire industry a lot of loss and damage and so on let us deal with these issues in a very efficient manner’ but it’s the second or third day the entire place is on strike,” Harmon reasoned.
He believes that the management of the Sugar Industry has taken the side of the Estate Manager prematurely since a thorough investigation is yet to be done.
“It’s like covering up, you trying the devil in hell, everybody covering up for one another in there, that’s all they doing, why can’t a proper investigation be done? Why can’t they should put aside this and solve this, put that suspension on hold and do a proper investigation rather than suffer the entire industry in this way?” Harmon questioned.
The Guyana Power & Light Inc. has even blamed the industrial action for load shedding in Berbice and Demerara, however, Harmon says the power company and Government are trying to hide its incompetence to deliver adequate electricity to the people.
“The extent of the input from the Skeldon Estate into the grid is not so much that it could cause these people all of this blackout; the Government they are hiding behind this Estate strike to give these people load shedding…all of this here is to me in a sense really punishing the people of Berbice for incompetent administration,” Harmon said.
A delegation of concerned workers from the Skeldon Estate is expected to meet with Labour Ministry officials today as they continue to seek redress for their colleague in this matter.
Meanwhile, Executive Member of the Alliance for Change, (AFC) Moses Nagamottoo expressed concern for the welfare of workers and industry and said this prolonged industrial action is a clear demonstration of the fragile industrial relations between the workers and the management of GuySuCo.
He told iNews during a telephone interview that Kumar’s relationship with the workers comes into to question since his first action in dealing with such an issue is dismissal.
“This type of behaviour will not help to heal the workers nor the industry,” Nagamootoo said.
![AFC Member of Parliament, Moses Nagamootoo. [iNews' Photo]](https://i0.wp.com/www.inewsguyana.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Moses-.jpg)
“GuySuCo needs every ounce of sugar at this time and need to look at the bigger picture.”
The AFC and APNU have dispatched their officials on the ground to assess the situation. The Skeldon Estate remains out of operations, and the Rose Hall Estate today joined in on the industrial action, however, Albion Estate has resumed operations today.
The industrial action went full scale after the Estate Manager refused to implement a number of recommendations that were made by the workers representative, after Steven Daniel was dismissed.
Among the recommendations was the reinstatement of Daniel, an apology by the Manager to the worker and a commitment that the man would not be victimized.
Well finally, the opposition decides to play their part. I was wondering what has happened to them. It is clear that the CEO and this manager are friends…it is glaringly so. Wat is going to be done about it is important? Sadly that the CEO of this company promotes the big stick method that kumar uses. Anil seepersaud from blairmont was fired because of a scruffle between he and a security guard,,, no questions asked. This was done by the CEO through the the HR director. What is taking him so long to fire this manager. I will tell you. THEY ARE FRIENDS. This drunkard will getaway again.
Good points from the opposition elements. What is very interesting here is the support this drunken idiot gets from the CEO of Guysuco, who is so daft and clueless of the reality on the ground. Look at the losses Guysuco suffered and all that was required, was an investigation to allow the natural justice to take it course.
There is enough evidence that this power drunk idiot, who is very popular for rumshop brawl will put Guysuco in further debt with the litigation brought about by several senior managers who were arbitrarily dismissed in a similar manner. Sad that these senior managers did not had a union to represent them and were forced to seek legal redress.
Moses, come on. You are not a pea brain but now made into Presidential material. With your mindset you will have to walk with a book of apologies every day when a worker do not do his job.
You cannot take the teeth off management.
Surely you do not want a pussy cat to run a billion dollar corporation which PNC, Desmond Hoyte gave up on, do you?
Your bedmate APNU/PNC maybe haul you into the fray.