Rusal workers demand meeting with Govt. after US lifts sanctions

Jan 30, 2019 News

Hours after US authorities announced that they had lifted sanctions on Russian-owned bauxite company, Rusal, workers in Guyana are stepping up the pressure for Government to meet on working conditions.

Russian aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska (Reuters photo)

“We have many issues we want raised. Our working conditions, pay and the fact that the company is continuing its merry ways while workers are suffering must be addressed,” a spokesman of the workers said yesterday.
Consecutive governments in Guyana have been treating the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI), Rusal’s subsidiary, with kid gloves despite complaints of workers and unions.
In fact, the company was criticized for not turning up at meetings with labour officials.
BCGI has operations at Kurukubali, Upper Berbice River, with several hundred workers.
Almost a decade ago, under the People’s Progressive Party government, BCGI fired more than 50 workers, including supervisors for participating in strike action.
More recently, the company has been refusing to recognize the workers’ union.
Among other things, workers want a government delegation to monitor workers’ safety, toilet and transportation facilities at the Berbice mine site.

BCGI was in deep problems last year after US Department of Treasury slapped sanctions on three companies controlled by Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska.
The delisted companies were Russian power company EuroSibEnergo (ESE); aluminum producer UC Rusal; and Rusal’s parent company, En+ Group.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed the sanctions in April 2018. At that time, OFAC said Deripaska had been investigated for money laundering and accused of threatening the lives of business rivals, illegally wiretapping a government official, and taking part in extortion and racketeering. It’s also believed that Deripaska “bribed a government official, ordered the murder of a businessman, and had links to a Russian organized crime group,” according to OFAC.
Under the terms of their removal from OFAC’s List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List), En+, Rusal, and ESE have reduced Deripaska’s direct and indirect shareholding stake in these companies and severed his control.
The companies have also agreed to “unprecedented transparency” for the Treasury Department into their operations by undertaking extensive, ongoing auditing, certification, and reporting requirements, OFAC said.

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