| – more than 100 defects discovered at new Skeldon factoryAnother high-paid contractor of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is in line to be sacked, according to GuySuCo officials as the Corporation continued its clean-up campaign to reduce costs.The GuySuCo officials yesterday confirmed that the official, one of experts who is a key figure in the construction of the Chinese-funded state-of-the-art Skeldon factory,Air Jordan Pas Cher France, will not see his multi-million-dollar monthly contract renewed.Government had expressed its concerns over time with the implementation of the project in the face of several problems facing the factory during the testing period.Yesterday, a senior GuySuCo official who spoke on conditions of anonymity explained that during the defects liability period which comes to an end next month, more than 100 defects were found. This number has been reduced to 11 that continue to exist.“As long as the problems are identified before the period is up,Camiseta Fc Barcelona 2019, then the contractor has to fix it,” the official assured.There were fears from opposition and others that GuySuCo would have run out of time to fix the problems as the defects liability period draws nearer.Management is now hoping to resolve most of the major issues by the time the next crop starts by mid-March.Last month,Buy Air Max 90, two senior officials of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) were sent packing following a disastrous production performance last year and amidst clamours that there were excesses in the corporation.Director of GuySuCo’s Agriculture Research, Dr. Harold Davis,Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys, was one of the officials sent off by the Board of Directors.Also gone is Henry Lung-Kit, an engineer formerly under contract with previous management of GuySuCo, Booker Tate.Lung-Kit was one of the subjects of media reports in December for receiving an “exorbitant” remuneration package in excess of $2M per month. GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer, Errol Hanoman, has also been in the spotlight in December.The corporation is tightening its belt in an effort to cut costs as part of its turnaround plan to make the sugar industry more viable.With several contracted workers, management is under pressure from government to ensure that targets are met and waste reduced.“Contractors will be placed more under the gun to ensure that they deliver. GuySuCo simply cannot afford to slack up. We need results,” said another senior official.To compound the sugar industry’s woes within the last few years has been a staggering three per cent price cut from the European Union, the corporation’s largest customer.With poor production and a new state-of-the-art factory at Skeldon,Arsenal Fc New Kit 18/19, an under pressure GuySuCo’s management is hoping to encourage workers also to minimise the number of strikes which plagued the industry last year.GuySuCo says that it is also facing a dismal workers’ turnout as cane cutters move to other jobs in between crops.In December, Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, had assured that the “super salaries” paid to some GuySuCo’s officials would be reviewed.The Minister had noted that the Corporation is currently in a transition phase from the previous Booker Tate management and as such he has ordered the review of remunerations and cuts where there are excesses.Persaud had stressed that the situation must be taken into the context of what was inherited.Ever since 1998, the government was paying Booker Tate some $500 million per annum. There has been a blueprint which is being implemented.Last year,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, the money paid for management fees, some $170 million, has seen a drastic reduction.Persaud said that this was one of the reasons for sacking Booker Tate, coupled with the fact that the British team was not performing to its contractual obligations. It was recognised that since in the early 90’s many believed that the Booker Tate price-tag was very high.Persaud added that it was he who lobbied Cabinet to relinquish ties with Booker Tate but stressed that the company was still in a transition phase building a Guyanese management team.“That is why we still have personnel being used that are getting packages that were inherited.”Notwithstanding, Persaud said that he has instructed GuySuCo “that we need to constantly review specific remuneration packages.”The Agriculture Minister also pointed to the fact that the Corporation was losing critical staff to the private sector because of remuneration.“This review will have to look at where there are excesses but ensure that at all levels we are competitive…That is mandate given to them… are ongoing activities some will see immediate impact others will follow.”The Minister did emphasise, “We need to get the calibre of skill within the industry and getting those skills at a cheap price is not easy.”The Minister said that the industry was currently looking at countries such as India, Cuba and Brazil where the skills could be procured at a competitive price.“When you go to Europe and North America it’s a different pay scale…In other countries perhaps we could get the same skills at a price we could afford.” |
