EMPLOYEES of the Russian-owned Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI) said loggers and other commuters have never been prevented from passing their barrier across the Berbice River, which the workers have been preserving for the past two months.

The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), last Saturday, published a notice “Advisory on the block of the Berbice River”, quoting laws pertaining to the blockage of waterways in the Summary Jurisdiction Offences Act and Criminal Law Offences Act.
They are also reports that the barrier has been blocking loggers from passing.

“We view that as a political move. The river is free to everybody except RUSAL. No logger can say that we are preventing them from passing here. One pass here recently about a week ago,” expressed Garfield Brutus, an employee and Branch Vice-President of the employees’ union, Guyana Bauxite & General Workers Union (GB&GWU).

Russian aluminum giant, RUSAL is the parent company with 90 percent shares in BCGI.
Brutus maintained that only barges from BCGI have been prevented from crossing the barrier, and presented video showing ships loaded with logs passing the area, where the barrier is erected, without being hampered.

“We are not blocking the river from any commuter, we are dealing specifically with RUSAL. We have an industrial situation here. We are blocking RUSAL barge not the regular commuters, so I don’t see it should be a problem with the Maritime Administration. If they need to take things further they would have to speak with our representatives but so far nobody has contacted us as yet,” Brutus said.

The workers have been blocking the river since RUSAL took the decision on January 24 to lay off 147 employees, citing “fuel shortage”.

Since then, the employees have been vigilantly guarding the blockage at Landernsville, to obstruct the company from shipping out materials or equipment from its Kurubuka Mines in Region 10.

The company subsequently responded by officially terminating 326 employees and suspending operations at the mines on February 2.

The employees see the blockade as their only leverage in making the company pay attention to their grievances. In original demands issued through their union, the employees called for the re-hiring of employees; the addressing of compensation for two employees who suffered electric shocks while on duty in December 2019, and increases in wages and salaries.

Earlier in February the employees had even defended their blockage against confrontation with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) when police officers had descended on the area. The relentless employees said their protest was peaceful and they did not harm anyone. The police presence was eventually removed.

“Right now we prepared and ready for anything so they could come,” Brutus conveyed.