RPA General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj
February 11, 2016 Source
The privately-run Rice Producers’ Association (RPA) had pocketed a $2.5M subvention from the PPP administration over the past two decades, Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder told the National Assembly on Wednesday.
An audit into the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) had also revealed that Guyana Rice Producers Association (GRPA) General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj was yet to repay a $100M loan that he acquired from the GRDB in 2014.
According to reports, Seeraj a serving People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament, signed for the ‘loan’ in July, 2014, with the understanding that it would have been repaid in October 2014.
Reports went on to indicate that the loan was approved by former GRDB General Manager, Jagnarine Singh. At the time Seeraj was serving as Vice President of the GRDB, a position he relinquished in July of 2015. Also signing on to the agreement was then Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy.
Holder’s revelation mirrored a similar occurrence over the Guyana Sugar Corporation, where that company had paid the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) between 2011 and mid of 2015, almost $18M in services which were reportedly rendered to sugar workers by the Labour College of a union whose head is a senior member of the PPP.
The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Commission of Inquiry (CoI) had found the discrepancy and recommended that GuySuCo discontinue payment for employees’ participation in courses forthwith.
According to the report, GuySuCo was paying each worker their average day’s pay for each day of the course. And using an average of $3000 per worker, per day, the total cost to GuySuCo for the period between 2011 and August of 2015 would have been almost $18M which the corporation was required to pay to the Union.
Agriculture Minister Noel Holder
The typical agenda and curriculum for the five-days course for estate workers includes; opening remarks; GAWU/GuySuCo Labour Agreements; Courtesy visit to Cheddi Jagan Research Centre (Red House); film show: Workers struggle/Thunder in Guyana; GAWU emergence and highlights of its struggles; Labour Relations; the importance of ideology and Marxism-Leninism as the ideology of the working class; strengthening the Unions’ Organisational structure; Capitalism-Imperialism-Globalisation; Class struggle and the development of society; global crisis and its impact on workers; the role of the Ministry of Labour; our National Insurance Scheme (NIS); Occupational Safety and Health Act and safe work habits; Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act; Prevention of Discrimination Act; various forms of violence; suicide – causes and effects; alcohol and drug abuse and social habits (for male participation); cancers in women (for female participation); work standards and quality control; GuySuCo corporate issues; cultural activities; and evaluation and closure of the course.
