New Junior Natural Resources Minister Simona Broomes is assuring that there will be a level playing field for both small and large-scale operators in the mining and forestry sectors.
At a press conference at Cara Lodge, in Georgetown, on Wednesday, Broomes, who was shifted from the Social Protection Ministry, voiced her gratitude to President David Granger for the appointment and his confidence in placing her to work in the new ministry, as well as her happiness to be working alongside Minister Raphael Trotman.
She noted that for many years regulations governing the industry and the rights of miners and workers had been violated. She said that what was inherited from the past government was not good.
However, she added that with a leader like Trotman, and the policies which he has already embarked upon, miners and Guyanese can be assured that she is “here to serve and will continue to serve.”
Trotman, who was also at the press conference, also voiced his gratitude for having Broomes on board. He said she brings a wealth of knowledge of the natural resources sector, particularly in the area of mining, to the ministry.
He also said that she is recognised as a champion of workers’ rights wherever she goes and he had no doubt that her championing of workers’ rights would continue with renewed and greater vigor within the sector.
According to Trotman, his ministry intends to fully utilise Broomes’ passion in areas that require active attention to curtail abuses within the mining sector and ensure the enforcement of regulations.
He said Broomes’ portfolio includes overseeing aspects of the occupational health, safety and protection of the rights of workers and practitioners within the mining and forestry sectors.
She also has responsibility for ensuring compliance by mining workers and practitioners with the laws and regulations governing the mining and forestry sectors as well as to carry out such other functions and duties as may be prescribed from time-to-time by Minister Trotman.
Trotman said that the task ahead is tremendous and he is confident that his team, with its additional support, would be more than capable of addressing issues within the sector and creating an environment of which all can benefit and be proud.
Quizzed on the issue of miners’ welfare and whether the Ministry of Natural Resources has within its employ an occupational health and safety officer, Broomes said that there some trained persons. She, however, added that it is an area that will be reviewed in light of recent mining pit collapses and to prevent recurrences.
Asked to comment on the more than 19 labour infractions recently unearthed at the RUSAL Bauxite Company when she worked under the Social Protection Ministry, Broomes said that she has responsibility for the rights of workers in bauxite mining under her new portfolio.
She said with her current appointment, she and the labour minister will now have more collaboration, “which will remedy the situation that the [former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration] could not have dealt with.” According to her, the PPP “did not want to deal with it for 23 years.”
She further affirmed that “RUSAL, like any other company will have to comply, and that is simple.”
Asked to express her feelings about her move from dealing with labour—“her first love”—and whether she would miss it, Broomes said that life entails changes. She said she has her concerns but noted that she will still be dealing with workers and labour issues.
On December 31 last, Broomes was one of two junior ministers shuffled by the President upon his creation of the ministries of Natural Resources and Telecommunications headed by Trotman and Catherine Hughes, respectively.
Broomes, this newspaper was told, was moved to assist with the Natural Resources Ministry because she has “hands on knowledge ” in that area given that she was a miner. Government had mulled moving Broomes to that Ministry from the inception but the need was accelerated to coincide with Granger’s plans for the mining sector. He feels that two ministers should be there to cover the broad scope that falls under that ministry, one source had said.
In a statement released by the Ministry of the Presidency, the President had said that while applauding the work that Minister Broomes had done within the Social Protection Ministry, “her knowledge of the hinterland makes her a great asset to the Ministry of Natural Resources.”
“She has a very good knowledge of the hinterland and we are concerned with the enforcement of certain practices and regulations in that Ministry,” the President had said according to the statement.
Broomes’ removal from the Social Protection Ministry, where she had been concentrating on the enforcement of workers’ rights, did not go down well with Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) head Lincoln Lewis, who noted that she had been performing excellently in her seven months at the Social Protection Ministry.
Lewis, in a statement, also said that the GTUC was not consulted for feedback on Broomes’ removal. “Minister Simona Broomes, who has arguably been amongst the hardest working ministers in this new administration, is being removed from her labour portfolio. This news comes as a shock since the trade union movement and employers who desire to comply with the rule of law never expressed dissatisfaction in the minister’s performance. Neither was the opinion of the trade union community sought as it relates to her performance. Were our opinion sought, disagreement would have been expressed in the minister’s removal,” he said.
Under Broomes’ leadership, the Department of Labour has recovered, from the period May to December 10, 2015, over $59M of wages owed to workers.
