By Leonard GildarieWorkers of the Skeldon sugar factory yesterday took strike action after four employees were dismissed following a fire at the multi-million-dollar facility two Saturdays ago.Calling for the workers to return to work with harvesting under full swing, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) yesterday said that gross negligence resulted in the fire not being detected early, and it is estimated that millions of dollars will now have to be spent to repair the damage.A total of nine employees were disciplined over the fire and there are questions now as to how staffers who were supposed to be on duty did not see the flames until hours later.In addition to two senior employees being interdicted from duty, GuySuCo said another two junior workers were disciplined – one dismissed and the other suspended. Two non-managerial employees were also suspended, with three of them dismissed.According to the Corporation, on Saturday August 7, a fire in the Skeldon factory resulted in extensive damage to the bagasse conveyor belt.GuySuCo, in pointing out that the incident occurred on the same day the estate was slated to commence its second crop production for the year, disclosed that based on the extent of the damage, it is clear that the blaze actually started much earlier than the time it was first reported -three hours earlier.“A full investigation was conducted which revealed that the incident resulted because of gross negligence, caused extensive damage where remedial work will cost millions of dollars, coupled with the loss of three days’ production.”Following the investigation, GuySuCo said it took disciplinary action against employees,Cheap NFL Jerseys 2016, both managerial and non-managerial.Yesterday, however, factory workers decided to strike against the decision to dismiss their colleagues.According to Komal Chand, President of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU), his union’s Field Secretary is talking to the factory workers to return to duty since management of the Skeldon estate is “unwilling” to “talk” while there is a strike.Not all of the employees who were disciplined are part of GAWU.According to GuySuCo yesterday, the strike action by the factory workers is at a most inopportune time,Throwback Jerseys, when there is a very large crop – 480,000 tonnes of cane – to be harvested “which has already been affected by poor weather and a 2nd crop production target of 34,000 tonnes of sugar for the Skeldon factory.”“Management respects the procedure of engaging workers in keeping with the established principles of the grievance procedure and as such management is willing to do same, providing that there is a resumption of work.”The Corporation noted that there are over 650 punts of cane ready to be crushed, which will yield approximately 4,000 tonnes of sugar.“The Corporation once again reaffirms its call for workers to ensure they seek to solve their concerns through dialogue with officials before resorting to strike action, so as to ensure that critical opportunity days for harvesting and production are not lost, more so because of the current weather pattern and the significant amount of canes to be harvested across the industry.”With the sugar industry still in a precarious state because of low prices and poor production, the fire and now the strike are things that GuySuCo could ill-afford now.Already, GuySuCo had revised its target for the year from 280,000 tonnes of sugar to just over 260,000 tonnes.Diamond labourer laid to restThirty eight year old Alvin Kissoon, the Diamond Housing Scheme resident who was found in his apartment with stab wounds about his body last Thursday, was laid to rest yesterday.Kissoon who was at home with his reputed wife at the time was rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.Relatives told Kaieteur News yesterday that were very disappointed in the way the police have carried out their investigations so far.A sister of the dead man told this publication that they were enraged to learn that the man’s reputed wife had been placed on station bail.This newspaper was told that the woman has to report once weekly to the East La Penitence Police as a condition of her bail. According to the dead man’s sister, the police are refusing to disclose any information concerning her brother’s death. Investigations are still continuing.Whyte-Nedd’s non-appointment unfortunate – BakshBy Sharmain Cornette“It is unfortunate that the situation has not been dealt with,” said Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh, of the non-appointment of Acting Chief Education Officer, Ms Genevieve Whyte-Nedd to the substantive position of Chief Education Officer.The Minister asserted though that in his capacity as Education Minister he does not have the authority to recommend the appointment of Whyte-Nedd or any senior off