More than three thousand redundant workers received severance pay

DPI, Guyana, Friday, February 2, 2018.

Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Sugar Cooperation (GuySuCo), Paul Bhim, told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that all employees that were affected by the corporation’s re-organisation have received severance pay.

“About 3,700 employees were issued with severance letters and the government had approved the partial payment of the severance of 50%, but there was an adjustment to that because anybody with 500,000 or less were paid in full, the payments went through on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, those have all been completed,” Bhim said.

Despite the large number of cheques the organisation was required to prepare and the logistics involved, Bhim relayed that the process went “fairly well” and that the respective payments were in keeping with an undertaking made by the Government and the announcement made by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo that payments were going to be made available from Monday last.

The acting CEO said there have been a few queries made by some workers and the Corporation is currently in the process of assessing these. However, so far, 1,400 ex-employees have received their severance in full with the remainder awaiting the remaining 50 percent.

That outstanding fifty percent severance will be paid to all entitled workers as soon as additional funds are made available, Bhim explained.

An estimated 3,700 GuySuCo employees, including senior staff, were recently issued with severance letters. Many of these workers hail from Skeldon, Wales, Enmore and Rose Hall sugar estates.

The Enmore, East Coast Demerara (ECD) and Rose Hall, Berbice factories will be closed by year-end. The Wales Estate was closed in 2016. Already, 389 sugar workers have been made redundant and paid their severance.

The “New GuySuCo” as it is being called will soon comprise three estates and three factories at Albion, Blairmont, and Uitvlugt.

 

By: Nateshia Isaacs

 

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