THE Ministry of Natural Resources has committed to sourcing state lands in the Potaro/Siparuni region for the small gold miners who were operating in the North Fork Backdam at Konawaruk before their equipment was seized by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC). Recently, the group of miners petitioned the Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, the Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources Simona Broomes and GGMC Commissioner (ag) Newell Dennison, saying that they were tired of raiding lands in order to provide for themselves and families.
The miners had their equipment seized by mines officers attached to the GGMC and by law enforcement officers, because they were found working on lands belonging to Tesouro Resources (Mining).
During the meeting, the officials not only agreed to source state lands and/or engage Tesouro Resources with the hope of having sections of the mined-out area transferred to the small miners to execute a land- reclamation project, but also agreed to have the seized equipment returned to the miners. However, the miners were mandated to sign a document, agreeing not to engage in illegal mining.
One of the miners, Garfield Wint, told the Guyana Chronicle that they are pleased with the commitment by the Government ministers
“We are trying to get this land under a syndicate. I don’t want it for myself, but for us and the future generation,” Wint told this newspaper.
As such, he said the group of miners that met with the Natural Resources Ministers on Tuesday is now in the process of forming a small miners union.
He said for too long, miners have gone unrepresented, contending that the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) does not look out for the “small man.”
“GGDMA don’t look out for a small man like me, they look out for the big miners. You can’t go and complain to GGDMA for these people, because GGDMA is a part of these people,” he posited.
Wint explained that the union will seek to fulfil a number of objectives, including increasing financial access to small miners, the establishment of a pension scheme and the execution of a number of community projects.
Minister Broomes had brought the miners’ concerns to light last week following a visit to Konawaruk. She had said that it breaks her heart to see miners suffering, explaining that the problems facing miners have been ongoing for decades, but she is hopeful there would soon be equality across the proverbial board in the mining industry.
Minister Broomes had visited the area earlier this year, and had promised to speak with Tesouro Mining. “The area is a place where the company would not go back and work, but the lil crumbs off of the table is what you are asking for. I went back — I didn’t take your petition lightly — I went to the Commissioner Acting GGMC and I asked him to call the company in. I am going to tell you quite frankly [that] the company said ‘no way, I don’t want them around’.”
She made it clear that neither she nor the GGMC can force the mining company to allow small miners to work on the worked-out mines.
“We need to look at how we deal with land…look at the mining permits so that we can come back to the table and re-examine the amount of land that you finish[sic] working, and what are you going to do with it now?” the minister declared.