They worked out those devilish details in a few hours after a four day standoff. And that standoff came at the end of a month-long December standoff with both sides publicly challenging each other. But you know what never happened in that entire month? Not one face to face meeting like what happened last night. And with government acting as the chief intermediary, why didn't they push for it earlier? That's what Jules Vasquez asks in this commentary:
This is the addendum agreement that saved the north from exploding into conflict last night.
It agrees to a two year agreement and sets out the specific terms of the economic analysis that Hugh O'Brien is supposed to conduct in the next three months.
It wasn't hard for the two sides to agree - after sitting for just two hours at the Yo Creek Agricultural Station - they had basically come to an agreement.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I sanction both parties and their lawyers to sit in a room and not to leave until we have an agreement."
What strikes me is that if it was so simple - and it was - why didn't the government - the Prime Minister - as intermediary in chief not do that months ago!?
You might not know it but, this in-person meeting by BSI and BSCFA high level executives with their attorneys was the first face to face meeting they've had throughout the many weeks of this commercial dispute. And it went well - the deal was sealed in a short time.
If we all knew this was coming - from one year ago - why could not the Prime Minister - in his wisdom - have done the same thing 6 months ago - called them all into a room and locked them up until they find a solution?
Instead the Prime Minister played the role of shuttle negotiator, intermediary between disputing parties - basically, he would talk to the cane farmers then call Vice President of ASR BSI Mac MaClachalan to get his take on it.
Who proposed this dysfunctional indirect model? It's hard to say but what we do know - and last night's outcome proves it - is that there is nothing like meeting face to face telling the other side how you really feel and getting it out of the way.
We're told that last night there were genuine questions about what "throughput" charges actually are - and this is at the very centre of the dispute!
So, last night as the Prime Minister congratulated himself on what a good job he'd done.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I am happy to announce that the zafra as we know the sugar cane season can now commence normally with all sugar cane farmers associations and the mill processing at optimum."
I had to ask why are we celebrating a crisis that we could have seen coming a year ago, or the year before that - one which the Prime Minister thought he had solved on December 30th before he left on an ill advised trip then was forced back to deliver the breakthrough of last Thursday - but that too turned out to be premature - and finally, finally after all these many months summoned the parties to a room, which could have been done at any point during the last 12 months.
But it was done yesterday, hooray for history - now let's wait 1 month for the next big fight - at the commission of inquiry, or 3 months from now when Hugh O Brien presents his findings, but hopefully the Prime Minister - and all sides will have learned from this that meeting face to face is a far clearer path to conflict resolution.
