Five months after negotiations on a possible restart of operations at its Kurubuka mines in Region 10, Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI), a subsidiary of Russian Aluminum (RUSAL) is still in discussions with the government.
Spokesman for the Ministry of Natural Resources, Parmanand Persaud, told Stabroek News that BGCI directors are still in discussion with the ministry and there is no indication as to where the talks are heading.
Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton, when contacted, also indicated same. He noted that the Ministry of Natural Resources is handling the talks for possible restart and his Ministry will step in when operations resume and discuss outstanding labour matters.
The minister reiterated, “We must have a company operating here before we can move ahead with other issues. We have not forgotten about these labour issues but we need to ensure we have a company.”
He stated that he has made this position known to the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union, Lincoln Lewis.
BCGI terminated over 300 workers at the end of January last year and announced the suspension of its operations.
Workers and the company have been in a decade-long dispute over wages and working conditions.
About three months after RUSAL announced that it was suspending its operations, Oldendorff Carriers Guyana Inc (OCGI), announced that it was forced to shut operations here. As a result of the closure, 132 employees were laid off.
OCGI is the company contracted to ship and transport bauxite from BCGI’s mines at Kurubuka in Region 10.
Last August during a meeting with the ministries and the GGMC, the company’s Country Representative, Vladimir Permakov, related that the blocking of the Berbice River by sacked workers to prevent barges from passing hindered critical work in the mines.
The company also said there are several technical matters which have to be addressed such as the restoration of the mine for safe mining after it became flooded, a statement from Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, had explained after the meeting.
The company’s representative had further disclosed that the operating cost for extracting Guyana’s bauxite was not competitive on the world market as from other sources and there was now the potential added costs of remedial work do be done in the mine.
After months of protest, former workers who had maintained the blockade across the Berbice River following their dismissal in January, removed the barrier after the new PPP/C government assumed office in August.
Lewis had told this newspaper that the workers felt the new PPP/C-led government would not fully represent their interests over wages and salaries and working conditions. Given their experience with past PPP/C-led administrations, the sacked workers felt they should bring their industrial action to an end, he said.
