COMPLANT says sugar workers will be largely Jamaican

Luke Douglas

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

THE management and workforce of the sugar factories sold to the Chinese company COMPLANT will be largely Jamaican, with China only providing key managers and experts, the company disclosed yesterday.

"Chinese and local staff should integrate their cultures and management structures through a localised administration and work together to make this project a fine example of China and Jamaica cooperation," said Tang Jianguo, chief executive officer of the COMPLANT Group of Companies stated.

"We will only dispatch essential senior managers and key technical experts, while the day-to-day industrial and agricultural operation will rely mostly on local staff," he added.

Jianguo made the disclosure at the official hand-over ceremony of the Jamaican Government sugar assets at the Jamaica Pegasus yesterday.

Tang said, as of December last year, COMPLANT began to deploy Chinese managers and personnel as well as factory and agricultural experts to the three divisions at Frome, Monymusk and Bernard Lodge in preparation for the 2011-2012 sugar crop.

He said COMPLANT has invested over US$8 million to take care of the cane fields to lay a solid foundation for the next crop.

He disclosed that a report plan for the 2011-12 crop had been completed and US$20 million in materials and equipment had been ordered from China, with the first shipment to arrive in September.

The Chinese expects to develop a harmonious and cooperative relationship with all stakeholders in order to improve the sugar industry, he said.

In his address at the handover, Prime Minister Bruce Golding expressed excitement at that prospect of the Chinese bringing their world-renowned efficiency in manufacturing to the Jamaican environment. He also hoped that COMPLANT will quickly turn a profit in order to encourage more Chinese investment and create more jobs.

"When that caller on 'Mutty' Perkins programme proclaimed that one 'Chiney can do five smaddy work', it is not something that should make us indignant about the loss of jobs, it should cause us to look at ourselves and say what is so deficient about us," the prime minister said.

"I make no apology about having said to COMPLANT that I want some of that culture to infect our approach to work in Jamaica, because we are in a (world that is) fiercely competitive today where becoming efficient is no longer an option."

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COMMENTS (25)

e h
8/17/2011

Did sugar, Air Jamaica, the Garment industry, thousands of factories fail within the last four years?
Does anyone thing a JLP Government would be presumptuous enough to sell Air Jamaica and the Sugar Assets if didn't have to?
No I don't think so......Only Comrade Governments have that latitude!

Ramon Castro
8/17/2011

@RED ANTS-- Me against PNP privatization? I am one of the biggest proponents of privatization because I believe that government, whether JLP or PNP CANNOT operate for profit businesses. If they cannot manage successfully service businesses such as schools, hospitals, police -- how on earth are they going to manage for profit businesses. In my 42 years, I have never voted for either party and the chances of me doing so now is zero. My position is consistent, LESS government in our lives.

R- Cool
8/17/2011

Jamaicans a BROAD whom call themselves the Diaspora, cannot have REPRESENTITIVE in the Parliment. Or more so in any Governmental Positions. But the Chinese can just show their YENS and have a part of one of , our PRIZED JEWEL.
Dont you think if GROUPS like the Dispora had any KIND of lobby within the GOV. This decision would not have taken place so HURRIEDLY. Soon are later we will be all speaking a FOREIGHN LANGUAGE fluently!
95% of Trinidad & Tobago is GOVERNMENT owened!

RED ANTS
8/17/2011

@Ramon Castro,If Government around the world cannot manage there business,why were you against the PNP when they were privatizing.I heard so many talk how PJ sell out Jamaica.Aren't we still seeing Jamaica been sold out under Bruce? If it's now you are realizing that the J'can gov't cannot mangae business you are late,just as how the Jamaican people destroy gov't just the same by way of fraud,waste and abuse.

PL BOGLE
8/17/2011

@Ramon Castro, A Government sole purpose is to serve the People and for no other purpose. People have a right to question Government policies, there are time when the Government does not represent the People and that the interests of the Government are not the interests of the People. There are times when the People have to assert their will directly and overrule the Government and assert the supremacy of the will of the People over the will of the Government.

e h
8/17/2011

The Jamaica Observer ran an excellent series on the Sugar Industry once. It showed us how sugar workers still live and work. There were photos of sugar workers abode and that of the sugar executives.....trust I they should run it forward. Your collective eyes would be opened.
Also the one on the Railway.
BTW The Jamaica Observer is saying we need foreign civil servants to tek ova......LOL wisely they have locked the Comment Box!

Ramon Castro
8/17/2011

If we can get beyond the politics and focus on the economics of this deal, the taxpayers are the real winners. Complant owns and operates the factories, pay business taxes to the government. Rather than the country pumping taxpayers money to keep the industry going it is now attracting revenue through the sale of the factories.How much revenue was the govt attracting when these factories were O&O by the govt? Also, one less politically appointed board chairman and members. Win for Jamaica.

Richie L
8/17/2011

While I welcome this investment in Jamaica by the Chinese, I wondered why locals could not have done the same. Is it because they are not good managers or is it that they don't have access to capital?
.
Will this company be supplying sugar to the region or to China?
.
Caricom should be our natural market for our agri products. We have the acreage where a Bdos or Trini don't. Why didn't we capitalize on this before?
.
It seems it is not only the worker who is lazy but management too.
.
Richie

Ramon Castro
8/17/2011

Government is best served when it legislates as opposed to manage. Before we BAD MOUTH JA and its govt, look around the world and name one democratic govt that has sucessfuuly managed any industry or business. And please don't tell me Sauda Arabia or the UAE. The great USA can't manage the postal services which is bleeding $Bs and projected to cut 120, 000 jobs. How profitabe were the JOS, JBC, Air Jamaica, government sugar factories, Workers Saving & Loan Bank? All, were taxpayers' burden.

PL BOGLE
8/17/2011

@ My Views, We must look at both sides of the coin my friend.
Many will ague that sugar production has been declining over the years, and that the industry need to be modernize and the Gov't don't have the capital to do so, do they have a point? yes they do.
But my question is, did the Gov't safeguard our long term interest? and that is, the People and our Land?
We need more transparency into this deal.

john blake
8/17/2011

We don't need politically correct employment. People must be employed on the needs for their labour.

Island Patriot
8/17/2011

So what happened to the refusal of this same Complant of the $100 million dollars investment recently? I don't trust these people. I think the only reason they're back on board is because of the rise in sugar prices recently, they see a huge market in the caribbean of which they can exploit.

tickyticky fish
8/17/2011

@ PL BOGLE I agree with you 100%. Any counytry that have an abundance of food is "king" China should be buying food not owning.

Foresight Hindsight
8/17/2011

"Fascism is a radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to organize a nation according to corporatist perspectives, values, and systems, including the political system and the economy." ...
Do you know what the symbol for fascism is? It's a bundle of sticks tied together... look it up.. then wake up Jamaica.

My Views
8/17/2011

Sugar wkers being largely Ja., how many of the snr personel will be Ja? We all know that it is the Snr persons who get the big $$. Is it that 51% of the employees will be Ja but these will all be lowly wkers? Will the cane farmers get little/nothing for their crops? Did we think to lease these factories instead of selling them? "Chineese & local staff should integrate their cultures & mgmt structures" notice that Tang isn't saying WILL, I guess there is nothing to learn from us?? Ja lets unite!

My Views
8/17/2011

Let's assume that the statement about Chineese wkers being more efficient than Ja. wkers is true, the question would be, is the end product of the same quality?? How many products produced by the Chineese have either been recalled/banned/unsafe? Some of the dyes that they have used in shoes have caused serious skin irritations.

My Views
8/17/2011

PL Bogle & Froggy D: You have raised some very salient points! Can we start having a live forum where we express these and similar concerns? It is more than high time we stop all this political crap and question whether the GOJ (whomever is in pwr) is actg in the country's best interest. Personally, I get nervous when I hear China assoc. with any time of food. Can anyone indicate any quality food that has come out of China?

Mike brown
8/17/2011

same here in canada ther Goverment sell everything to other countries most of the biz is Foreign own

tickyticky fish
8/17/2011

"sugar workers will be largely Jamaican" right 60/40
Jamaican politicians should be tried for High Treason for selling out Jamaica dem sold all the best beaches, infrastuctures, toll road, institutions Air Jamaica and Bocosbel Airport, Jamaicans are SUBSERVIENCE SERVANTS in a country which once belong to them.
But for the fact that the government is so licky licky and beggy beggy Jamaicans lost Jamaica. Exile all a dem politicians to China where they will learn how to be NATURALISTIC.

PL BOGLE
8/17/2011

A 5,000 plus year history of farming in China, has left soils depleted, while China's tumultuous history isn’t without its fair share of drought and famine.
China has purchased and leased large tracts of farmland in countries like Algeria and Zimbabwe to produce crops for export, to fill China's diminishing rice bowl.
There has been a major global movement from many leading nations to acquire foreign farmland in an attempt to attain food security.
What's my point? Farmland is a valuable nonrenewable natural resource.
Their interests do not reflect the real interest of the J'can people This is about control over resources. Human resources and natural resources.

Froggy D
8/17/2011

For every Jamaican worker, no matter the position, thatt is replaced by a Chinese worker, no matter the expertise, Jamaica's unemployment rate goes up a notch. What are the other realizations of this deal? If we are going to sell off the country's assets we have to be honest about it, tell up front what will be affected. Will the cane planters get what they want for their cane or will it be to the dictates of Complant?

e h
8/17/2011

It was not this JLP GOJ who started the divestment process of Air Jamaica nor the Sugar Industry.!
The only reason we were able to maintain sugar production is EU quotas and subsidies. Both Sugar and Air Jamaica has been a drain on the Jamaican budget since the 60s. Both needed to be divested.

G White
8/17/2011

Jamaica For Sale.One island in the carribean going cheap.Come to Jamaica where the politricksters are easy and the people gullible.You can do what you want for a few $s.Build on the beach,thats ok.If you dont want to hire locals thats ok.If you want to treat the people like serfs thats ok because they have been trained by their politricksters.Come to Jamaica where a few $s rule.

Su Gar
8/17/2011

This is great, but are there are no Jamaican agricultural experts that can be on their management team? They are getting the lion's share of this deal, it is essential for Jamaicans to be on the management teams for knowledge exchange and transfer - plus, on the eve of our 50th year of independence we should take care not to create a new inferiority complex in this industry!

NYRON CAMERON
8/17/2011

Is there anything left for this guy to sell. Its a shame that this guy just got into power and have sold more than he has being able to give the Jamaican people. Your job is to find solutions, provide jobs and other basic necessities for the people.. Do you know the Chinese, and what they represent. .They come to take all. Nothing is wrong with partnership but all is definitely wrong with selling out.. SHAME ON YOU.. Firs tAIR J , NOW SUGER ,WHATS NEXT THE BEACHES ?

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COMPLANT says sugar workers will be largely Jamaican