BRAZILIAN miners operating within the Puruni mining area, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Region Seven on Saturday called on Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes to provide opportunities for them to benefit from opportunities available to local miners.

Speaking at an informative session at the Puruni Landing on Saturday, Minister Broomes made it clear that the opportunities being made available for small-scale miners are not limited to local miners but also to foreign nationals who have the requisite documentation to work here.

She explained to those gathered that the APNU+AFC coalition Government has opened the doors for equal opportunities for all in the sector to operate.

“Syndicates make provision for all…. This is not only for local miners… you too as Brazilians, or Venezuelans or wherever you are from can benefit. Once you are part of a syndicate; you will be treated equally,” the minister said as she explained that small miners in the Puruni area have been struggling for a number of years to access lands to mine.

“Get yourselves into syndicates; through these syndicates you would be in a position to get lands to work… you won’t have to raid, or be the subject of landlordism,” she added, while noting that often time foreign nationals, more specifically Brazilians are exploited, something she believes must come to an end.

“Join the syndicate; being a member of the syndicate is a safe way to prevent exploitation… all must be treated equally; I am not here to hurt you, I don’t like the exploitation,” the minister, who is a former miner told the Brazilians gathered as she listened to their many complaints.

According to the Brazilians, some of whom have been living and working in Guyana for a number of years, they applied to the Ministry of Public Security, Department of Citizenship for work permits and all other documentation relevant for them to work here, but often time, the documentation is not provided though monies would have been paid.

One very vocal Brazilian national who spoke through a translator explained to the minister that they have been constantly going to the Department of Citizenship to apply for their work permit. The miner said they fulfil all requirements and pay for the document but never receive same.

“We go, we pay but we never get it…we get receipts from them but no permit is given to us. We don’t want to work here illegally, we want to follow the laws but they are giving us a hard time,” said the Brazilian national who was supported by other Brazilian miners.

One Brazilian woman told Minister Broomes that she has been living in Guyana for more than 15 years and has observed the difficulty other Brazilians experience when they come to Guyana to work in the mining industry.
“Me come long… but them can’t get permit even though they apply and pay,” the woman said unaided by a translator.

JOIN SYNDICATE
“Please help us, Minister,” the woman begged as Minister Broomes advised the group of Brazilians operating in the area to join the syndicate.
“Join the syndicate, report these matters to the syndicate who will bring it to Georgetown and I will communicate with the Minister of Citizenship to see what the issue is,” she assured. The Brazilians agreed and were offered to be on the executive of the syndicate, a position they intend to take up.

Meanwhile, miners continue to cry out against what they deem to be injustices meted out to them as they are currently unable to mine in the area as large-scale miners seem to occupy most of the lands.

Some complain that they are currently indebted and in most cases do not have food to sustain their camps.
“It hard minister, it really hard. Right now, I owe a lot of people and when I come out (out of mining camp), I does have to walk back track so that the people I owe don’t see me. They will think I hiding and don’t want to pay them, but I don’t have any money,” said a female miner.

Another miner named Nicholas Bailey told Guyana Chronicle that he has a similar struggle.
“Thing never so bad yet; it really tight in here. My workers have no food, no water, nothing. I come out here to see if I can get somethings for them to at least eat. A whole week since I ain’t working, I move out from Tiger Creek and I left and I go inside small Mara Mara and the warden them come and tell me I can’t work because my dredge ain’t register for the year. I ain’t get no money to register the dredge,” Bailey said as he explained that he needs only $6000 to register the dredge but is finding it difficult to source the money.

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD
Other miners called for there to be a level playing field and for the establishment of health and police outposts in the community.

Meanwhile Minister Broomes made it clear that syndicates will function as a cooperative and though they are not the only ways to which miners can receive lands, it is a way in which miners can work together to achieve a common goal.

“You are allowed to identify an area for yourself, make an application for land… we are opening up lands for you now. Once the areas chosen are available, you have the opportunity. When the land is given, it is for all members of the syndicate equally; you have nothing to lose,” Broomes told the miners of Puruni and neighbouring communities.

Addressing the views of those who believe syndicates cannot work, Minister Broomes said in the past syndicates did not operate in the same fashion.
“This is something that is new, it is your own and you can make the best of it,” she said as she warned that trafficking-in-persons (TIP), labour trafficking, exploitation and abuse will not be tolerated.

“Syndicate representation is wide across the country; it is a win-win situation but it must be done orderly… syndicates can ease the problems and I would not encourage the Wild West situation,” the minister charged.

At the end of the meeting, approximately 115 miners signed up to be part of the Puruni Mining Syndicate. Asked to comment on the reaction by the miners, Minister Broomes told Guyana Chronicle that she is impressed by the support shown for the initiative.

“It is beyond my imagination, the response I have seen as I travel to the different communities,” she said as she explained that a meeting is being arranged for representatives of all syndicates to meet with the ministers of natural resources in the coming weeks.

“They (miners) are doing everything for themselves and are enthusiastic… I am happy from Government’s standpoint that we did not take the situation the miners faced for granted and we examined other initiatives to ensure miners can benefit from lands,” Minister Broomes added.

She noted too that Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman is also pleased that the miners are happy with the initiative.