Jitters intensify as Appleton closure looms

WESTERN BUREAU:

Discussions are to continue with the management of J. Wray & Nephew Limited regarding a possible redundancy exercise that could affect more than 300 unionised workers at Appleton Estate Sugar Factory in Siloah, St Elizabeth.

Clifton Grant, first vice-president of the University and Allied Workers Union (UAWU), confirmed that the union will be having another meeting on Wednesday, July 29.

“Nobody is slated to be made redundant between now and that meeting,” Grant told The Gleaner on Tuesday.

“... We expect about 300 to 350 workers to be affected.”

A cloud of uncertainty has been hanging over sugar-belt communities in St Elizabeth since news of a possible lockdown began circulating last week. Fears heightened recently following reports by J. Wray & Nephew Limited, which owns the factory, that they will cease the production of sugar because of heavy losses during the 2019-2020 crop year.

“The negative impact of the novel coronavirus on the commercial operations of J. Wray & Nephew Ltd, coupled with sustained losses from its sugar business, has forced the company into consultation about the future of the Appleton sugar operations in St Elizabeth,” the company stated.

DISCONCERTING AND AGONISING

Meanwhile, Allan Rickards, a director at the Sugar Industry Association (SIA), says that the Appleton meltdown is both disconcerting and agonising for workers and satellite communities that depend heavily on the factory for their economic survival.

“First of all, neither the Sugar Industry Authority nor the ministry have a statement from Appleton as to what it is they are planning to do. I know of no clear statement from Campari or J. Wray & Nephew regarding their plan for Appleton,” said Rickards.

In an interview with The Gleaner on Tuesday, Rickards, the immediate past chairman of the All-Island Jamaica Cane Farmers Association, described the negotiations taking place between the workers and the Appleton management as disjointed.

“There are internal discussions and every now and then some director or from management goes out to Appleton and makes some statements which do not help the situation, because the statements they are making seem to be definitive in terms of closure. That is disconcerting,” said Rickards.

“What they are doing increases the agony of those people involved who directly or indirectly earned a living out of that industry in that area. The uncertainty is killing them.”