Complaints by employees at the Chinese company, Guyana Man-ganese Inc (GMI) of dire working conditions are engaging the attention of the Ministry of Labour.
The statement by Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton came in light of the complaints received by the Guyana Agricul-tural and General Workers Union (GAWU) on working conditions at the company’s Matthews Ridge location in the North West district.
GMI could not be contacted by Stabroek News for comment.
In a press statement on what the employees were saying, GAWU said “proper sanitation is absent and despite their repeated pleas, it appeared to them, the company was not prepared to meaningfully address the situation… They also lamented the physical condition of the housing facilities which they shared required urgent repairs and rehabilitation to bring it to an acceptable level.” It was noted that workers, who were not named in the statement for fear of victimization, lamented they had to work in deteriorating conditions during the current COVID-19 pandemic in which sanitation is of greater importance.
Hamilton yesterday said that even though an official report was not made he has asked the Chief Labour Officer (CLO) Dhaneshwar Deonarine to investigate the complaints. He encouraged staff members to file an official complaint so that the issue can be properly investigated.
“We have a Labour Officer in Port Kaituma. If an official report was made by the workers or the union that Labour Officer could have visited. I will have to suggest to the CLO for that to be done,” the minister said.
The Minister added that this is not the first time they had to deal with labour complaints from workers at GMI. Just after taking office, he explained that workers had complained about wages and salaries and that was sorted out.
He stated that the company is not new to Guyana and being a subsidiary of Bosai’s operations in Linden they should have been aware of the criteria under which they are permitted to operate.
The union stated that while foreign workers are afforded several amenities such as satellite television, washing machines and facilities for recreation, among other things this privilege is not extended to local staff.
“They (workers) informed our Union that whereas foreigners are provided with cleaning assistance, they are required to clean their own rooms. They explained as well that even a necessity such as internet access to communicate with their relatives is denied though the foreigners are allowed such access. They on the other hand must purchase cellular data if they wish to have internet access,” GAWU said.
Additionally, the workers indicated to GAWU that they are unsure whether NIS deductions made from their wages/salaries are remitted to the Scheme.
GMI upon receiving its Environmental Impact Assessment approval by the Environmental Protection Agency in May 2021 began to produce manganese.
In their initial stages of startup, the mine was closed in March of 2019 when workers carrying out scoping works took ill and two – 47-year-old Zhenglong Zong, and 45-year-old Zengguo Ji, both Chinese nationals – subsequently died from what the company said was leptospirosis and respiratory failure
After the two workers succumbed, the Chinese government made a request for the 10 sick workers – all Chinese nationals – to be flown back home for medical attention. This request was granted and the men were flown back to their home country.
In September 2021, the company’s operation was stalled after a section of the reservoir belonging to GMI collapsed, releasing a torrent of water that washed away a section of the road which connects Matthews Ridge to Port Kaituma and flooded surrounding areas.
Region One Chairman Brentnol Ashley said that a compromised drainage system is suspected to be the primary cause of the collapse. He added that from all indications, the company did not change drainage pipes that were laid years ago. The integrity of the pipes, he opined, is believed to have been compromised by the volume of water in the reservoir.
The collapse of the reservoir has raised questions about GMI’s safety practices.
