Dear Editor,
The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) issues this statement in the strongest possible terms, condemning the appalling reports of maltreatment, exploitation and unsafe working conditions at the Zijin Mining Aurora Goldfield operation. Recent disclosures reveal workers being subjected to underpaid wages, the absence of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), unhealthy and inadequate food, and troubling conditions across general operations. These reports are not only disgraceful; they are an indictment of a system that continues to treat Guyanese workers as disposable in their own homeland.
GTUC is encouraged by the public outrage and the growing intolerance for this level of mistreatment. Workers and citizens who raised their voices have done the nation a great service, and their vigilance must not be taken lightly. For years, the GTUC has consistently called on the Government of Guyana to ensure that working conditions, whether under local or foreign employers, meet the standards enshrined in labour laws and industrial relations principles. Yet, the conditions under which local labour is forced to toil, simply to support their families, remain nothing short of disgraceful in this resource-rich country.
While the Minister of Labour and Manpower Planning, Keoma D. Griffith, has stated that the government will investigate the atrocities after they were exposed by a vigilant society, he must not forget that violations of workers’ rights have been flagged repeatedly under successive governments. Workers were promised protection before, and those promises were broken. Minister Griffith, unlike his predecessor Joe Hamilton, must move beyond announcements and deliver a concrete, enforceable national policy that will stamp out these abusive practices and hold violators accountable without fear or favour.
GTUC also reminds workers of the fundamental importance of organising themselves. Whether by joining an existing union or forming one, it is through collective organisation that workers can secure what is justly theirs. The Constitution of Guyana is explicit in guaranteeing the rights to organise, engage in collective bargaining, and withdraw labour under poor working conditions. These rights are further protected by labour laws. These are not privileges; they are enforceable guarantees that workers must use in their defence.
We also urge the political opposition, who have spoken out against these egregious conditions, to maintain pressure. As government-in-waiting, they must continue to hold the incumbent government accountable until there is measurable, permanent improvement. A piecemeal or reactive approach to matters of this gravity is unacceptable. The Minister, an attorney-at-law, must be fully aware of the rights of workers and his obligations as an officer of the court and of the state. Guyanese are tired, sick and tired of being treated as lesser in their own country, whether in the workplace, on public parapets, or within the socioeconomic and political spheres.
The GTUC has observed the public’s response to the abuses at Aurora and is heartened by the militancy and solidarity displayed. The defence of the Aurora workers offers reassurance that in this trillion-dollar economy citizens will not stand idly by while their birthright is trampled by foreign forces or domestic ones. Workers of this nation, past, present and future, have had enough of being treated as second-class citizens.
GTUC stands firmly with the workers at Aurora and demands immediate corrective action, strict enforcement of labour laws, and an end to the systemic exploitation of Guyanese labour. The time for excuses is over. The time for action is now.