Please forgive this footnote to my letter which you so kindly published on Friday, November 6. But having now read the mandate set for the Arbitration Tribunal appointed in respect of the most recent sugar industry dispute, it would be remiss of me not to comment on the microscopic perception of the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, as represented by the declared Terms of Reference, of the substantive issues at stake at this juncture in the fortunes of the sugar industry.
Indeed the other complicit parties – GuySuco’s management and the union’s leadership – have let themselves down, by agreeing this simplistic approach to resolving what by their own representations, are issues fundamental to the short to long-term survival of the sugar industry.
The management side of the table, in acquiescing to the mono-focal formulation of the Terms of Reference, can hardly be congratulated for its inability to follow through to the ‘arbitration’ stage its oft repeated articulation of the various factors contributing to GuySuco’s current dire circumstances, amongst them the issue of productivity.
The union (GAWU) and members have in fact expressed their own concern about the lapses in management’s agricultural practices, which have resulted, for example, in cane harvesters having to cut more beds than should be the average. Then there is the stark admission of poor communication throughout the organisational hierarchy.
Given that the above factors, and more, are said to impact on the vaunted ‘turnaround’ plan, how and why then was opportunity not taken to ventilate, and ‘arbitrate’ on their relevance to cost of production, which in turn is related to sales and profitability.
That these inter-relationships have been ignored is underscored by the type of appointees to what should have been a ground-breaking tribunal.
The perspective required is less about statistics and accounting than about people, performance and productivity, at all levels.
One would hope that some mechanism could be found to broaden the Terms of Reference to allow for the institution of a productivity formula, aimed at guaranteeing satisfaction to the workers and the eventual good health of everybody’s sugar industry.
Yours faithfully,
E. B. John
