Clueless about Skeldon factory management contract - GAWU
Written by Demerara Waves
Saturday, 03 September 2011 19:24
Skeldon Sugar FactoryThe major union for thousands of sugar workers, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), says it was surprised by Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud’s recent revelation that a private contract is being sought for the management of the beleaguered Skeldon sugar factory.
At a news conference two Fridays ago the minster announced that GuySuCo was looking to engage either a Chinese or Indian company for the contract and urged the Corporation’s Board to move speedily on the matter.
However, in its release Saturday, GAWU claimed that it was “reliably informed” that the matter had not been brought before the Board at the time of the announcement.
“Through the grapevine, GAWU has learnt that the Minister’s statement could well be related to the company that was a main part of the factory’s construction and the other, the firm that was engaged in building the Enmore Packaging Plant. If so, other troubling questions would arise,” GAWU stated.
The companies in question are CNTIC which worked on the modernisation of the Skeldon factory and Surendra Engineering which was engaged for the US$12.5M packaging plant.
The union also took umbrage at the minister’s remark that they were going the route of private management because the needed expertise did not reside in the Corporation nor Guyana.
“GAWU is very much disappointed by the alleged remarks of the Minister implying that Guyanese are incapable of running the industry. It should be noted that local personnel are managing all the estates of the industry and the industry itself. Why is Skeldon factory now being isolated for possible outside management?”
According to the union, management may generally have their weaknesses, but it is unconvinced that the Skeldon factory failures are solely the consequence of poor management.
“We hope that the Minister has been wrongly quoted for it is impossible for any legitimate examination to lead to such a conclusion. GAWU hopes that facts are not manipulated nor are presented to justify the return of the industry into foreign hands.”
GAWU added that it believes that an “honest, objective and collective approach” by all the stakeholders must be a first step to address Skeldon’s woes.
The Alliance For Change (AFC) also come out in opposition at a recent news briefing to the contracting of either companies to run the Skeldon factory.
“These are people we understand who do not have any experience in management; one is good at infrastructure civil engineering, CNIC, and the other one is also a civil engineering firm so to go now to have management contracts to run sugar factories, I think they got plenty corruption behind these deals,” AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan said.
He noted that the CNTIC has been blamed for many of the mechanical problems which beset the US$200M Skeldon factory.
‘The maker of this defect-riddled 8,400 tons cane-per-day grinding capacity factory, which has not yet achieved even half that amount for one day, is being evaluated as a potential contract manager,” Ramjattan declared.
According to him, Surendra Engineering appears to be “specially favoured” because it was awarded a contract for eight drainage pumps even though it does not make them. Additionally, he said, the firm through a Dubai-based front company received a consultancy contract valued some US$500,000 to provide the plan to upgrade the Enmore and Blairmont factories.
Ramjattan said his party is aware of very experienced and well known Indian and Brazilian consortiums which ought to be invited to give proposals to manage the Skeldon Factory and possibly to procure finances from their respective governments to assist in doing so.
However, the AFC believes that any move to privatise the factory’s management should be done after the general election and has signaled that it would not honour any contract signed with CNTIC or Surendra Engineering should it form the new government.
Written by Demerara Waves
Saturday, 03 September 2011 19:24
Skeldon Sugar FactoryThe major union for thousands of sugar workers, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), says it was surprised by Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud’s recent revelation that a private contract is being sought for the management of the beleaguered Skeldon sugar factory.
At a news conference two Fridays ago the minster announced that GuySuCo was looking to engage either a Chinese or Indian company for the contract and urged the Corporation’s Board to move speedily on the matter.
However, in its release Saturday, GAWU claimed that it was “reliably informed” that the matter had not been brought before the Board at the time of the announcement.
“Through the grapevine, GAWU has learnt that the Minister’s statement could well be related to the company that was a main part of the factory’s construction and the other, the firm that was engaged in building the Enmore Packaging Plant. If so, other troubling questions would arise,” GAWU stated.
The companies in question are CNTIC which worked on the modernisation of the Skeldon factory and Surendra Engineering which was engaged for the US$12.5M packaging plant.
The union also took umbrage at the minister’s remark that they were going the route of private management because the needed expertise did not reside in the Corporation nor Guyana.
“GAWU is very much disappointed by the alleged remarks of the Minister implying that Guyanese are incapable of running the industry. It should be noted that local personnel are managing all the estates of the industry and the industry itself. Why is Skeldon factory now being isolated for possible outside management?”
According to the union, management may generally have their weaknesses, but it is unconvinced that the Skeldon factory failures are solely the consequence of poor management.
“We hope that the Minister has been wrongly quoted for it is impossible for any legitimate examination to lead to such a conclusion. GAWU hopes that facts are not manipulated nor are presented to justify the return of the industry into foreign hands.”
GAWU added that it believes that an “honest, objective and collective approach” by all the stakeholders must be a first step to address Skeldon’s woes.
The Alliance For Change (AFC) also come out in opposition at a recent news briefing to the contracting of either companies to run the Skeldon factory.
“These are people we understand who do not have any experience in management; one is good at infrastructure civil engineering, CNIC, and the other one is also a civil engineering firm so to go now to have management contracts to run sugar factories, I think they got plenty corruption behind these deals,” AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan said.
He noted that the CNTIC has been blamed for many of the mechanical problems which beset the US$200M Skeldon factory.
‘The maker of this defect-riddled 8,400 tons cane-per-day grinding capacity factory, which has not yet achieved even half that amount for one day, is being evaluated as a potential contract manager,” Ramjattan declared.
According to him, Surendra Engineering appears to be “specially favoured” because it was awarded a contract for eight drainage pumps even though it does not make them. Additionally, he said, the firm through a Dubai-based front company received a consultancy contract valued some US$500,000 to provide the plan to upgrade the Enmore and Blairmont factories.
Ramjattan said his party is aware of very experienced and well known Indian and Brazilian consortiums which ought to be invited to give proposals to manage the Skeldon Factory and possibly to procure finances from their respective governments to assist in doing so.
However, the AFC believes that any move to privatise the factory’s management should be done after the general election and has signaled that it would not honour any contract signed with CNTIC or Surendra Engineering should it form the new government.
