Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI) is holding discussions with the Upper Berbice loggers association operating in the Region Ten area to find a mutually agreeable solution to the problem of illegal offloading of logs and logger’s trucks crossing at the company’s Kwakwani waterfront facility, the company said in a release.
The company said it is concerned that illegal offloading of logs and crossing of logger’s trucks at the Kwakwani waterfront facility will not only cause damage to the facility but it is also a major occupational safety violation and could result in serious injury or even fatalities.
In the meantime, BCGI has stated that failure to have this matter addressed in a peaceful manner may force the company to seek redress in the local courts.
Under the agreement with the Government of Guyana, BCGI has been given a permit to manage and operate the facility which is used to berth barges taking bauxite ore from the mines to company’s Aroaima plant to ships bound abroad.
The facility is critical to the BCGI operations and any downtime at the facility caused by damage or other inconveniences could result in work at the company being scaled back, ultimately affecting company workers and revenues, the company noted.
BCGI said it holds the firm position that the loggers should honour the provisions set out in the mining permits granted by the government where the bauxite company has been granted the legal right and responsibility to manage and operate the facility.
As a major investor in bauxite mining in Guyana and a major employer, BCGI maintained that “it is within its right to demand that the security of its facilities and investments be protected and preserved and that any attempt to blackmail the company into relinquishing its rights must be condemned.”
The company said further that by engaging the loggers and the operators of the logging trucks, BCGI is seriously concerned over the livelihood of its employees and the general safety of all concerned will be the primary areas of consideration.
The release also stated that BCGI is recognised as a major employer in Region Ten, an area that has one of the lowest employment rates in the country.
At present, BCGI employees 518 persons and last month the company brought in a fleet of heavy-duty equipment and machinery valued at US$21 million.
BCGI is also to be granted licences by the Government of Guyana to expand its operations into two additional mining areas. These investments will necessitate the employment of additional staff. This year alone it is anticipated that the number of Guyanese employed with the company should reach 600 while in 2013 that number should go up to over 800 persons, and BCGI also provides contractual work for an additional 300 persons.
Recognising the importance of developing micro-enterprises in the area, the company said that it has supported the development of small business enterprises in Aroaima, and for the past year three shops were opened there.
BCGI said further that while it recognizes the value of logging to residents of the Region Ten area, it must call on the loggers to respect the mining order established by Guyanese law and to appreciate the difficulties the company and the hundreds of its workers would have to endure if the waterfront facility is damaged or if anyone is injured or worse, the release said.
