STAFFERS of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) are demanding the eviction of Guyana Gold Board (GGB) staffers from the commission’s compound in light of several persons being found with mercury in their systems.

The staffers made their demands clear during a meeting with Commissioner Newell Dennison and GGMC Board chairman Stanley Ming on Monday.
Dennison told staffers that the GGB has been considering its options.

“At this point in time, they are communicating that they have nowhere to go,” he said, noting that despite tests being done by Kaizen Environmental Services (Guyana) and the Environmental Protection Agency and areas of the compound have been proven “benign”, there remains a justifiable fear from staff.

The view of many, he noted, is that the GGB activities be curtailed or stopped.  He related however, that there is nothing more the GGMC could say on the matter, except that workers will be moved to points of the compound where there are no high emissions that could affect them.

Staffers were not satisfied with this response. One female staff asked whether the commission would treat persons for mercury or send them on sick leave only to have them return to the same unsafe work environment.

“Let the Gold Board remove and go somewhere in the interest of the workers and their health. We’ve got to take drastic measures,” she demanded, contending that “if they don’t want to move, we got to get drastic because they killing out workers slowly but surely. So if they can’t stop, well then they have to move.”
A male staff also expressed discontent at the manner in which the issue is being handled. He complained that while the Natural Resources Ministry is occupying GGMC’s three-storey building to house a handful of staffers, space remains an issue at the commission, with the mercury situation adding to the problem.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that last week, the Ministry of Natural Resources commenced vacating the GGMC building which was taken over by then Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud in 2013, after he sought relocation of his ministry from the then Office of the President.
The Natural Resources building is partly vacated and GGMC staffers are upset that the commission is being asked to wait for permission from government before they can access their facility, despite the serious mercury situation.
A visit to the GGMC also proved that some departments at the commission such as the library, the human resource department and audit department, among others, have been either closed, partially closed or partially functioning due to the location of the department in relation to the GGB lab, where emissions are released, or staffers being treated or sent on leave for mercury contamination.

GGMC staffers heard that even staffers that were housed away from areas of exposure showed high mercury readings of about 11 ng/mL, while others in areas “well away” from contaminated locations showed mercury readings of 4 to 11 ng/mL.
Dennison had told the Guyana Chronicle that almost 200 letters were issued to staffers to have them tested. He urged staffers at the meeting to get tested if they have not done so. He restated the commission’s commitment to standing with its workers, noting that the situation requires higher attention.