Lorry drivers forced to wait hours to tip cane

[posted 3 Aug 2009,1530]

Lorry drivers are forced to wait up to 18 hours at a time to unload their cane at the troubled Lautoka and Rarawai Mills.

On Saturday NFU general secretary Mahendra Chaudhry found between 80-100 lorries piled up at each of the two mills which have been running intermittently on a stop-start basis since the beginning of the season.

“It’s one big mess out here. No one knows what is happening,” said Mr Chaudhry who visited both the mills on Saturday.

“The plight of the lorry drivers is pathetic. They are forced to wait here for 12-18 hours at a time to unload the cane, without any food, water or lights at nights. It is very sad that no one in authority seems to care about the drivers.”

Mr Chaudhry said the canteen at Rarawai that was set up to cater for lorry drivers was no longer available. It is now being used to house workers form India. So there is no where the drivers can go for even a cup of coffee or tea to relieve the long tedious hours of waiting.

The NFU has repeatedly highlighted problems at the Lautoka and Rarawai Mills. Last available mill statistics show pathetic crushing record at both. The Lautoka Mill is crushing at 61 percent capacity and Rarawai at a pathetic 39%, according to crush figures for the week ended Monday 27 July.

NFU calls on the Sugar Minister to go down and see for himself how the mills are performing and the condition under which these lorry drivers are forced to wait for 12-18 hours at a time.

Meanwhile, the Union draws attention to a statement by FSC on Saturday regarding its first sugar shipment to the UK. CEO Deo Saran exults over the $32 million shipment.

What he did not tell the media was that FSC failed to meet the full shipload of 30,000 tonnes. It shipped only about 27,500 tonnes.

Here is the alarming truth: as of 27 July, a total of 383,000 tonnes of cane had been crushed. On average this should have produced 43,000 tonnes sugar. Our information is that only 27,500 tonnes were produced, leaving a shortfall of 15,500 tonnes. This translates to an estimated loss of $15 million at current price.