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Aurora gold mine resumes operations
Workers at the Aurora mine of Guyana Goldfields Incorporated resumed work yesterday.
Aurora Gold Mine
The suspension of work was forced by a workers’ strike on July 2, over a series of issues, foremost of which is the lack of union representation.
When the strike started on Tuesday, the company shut off the internet connection at the mine so the workers couldn’t reach the general public. The strike lasted days, with workers being neglected meals, and standing in the rain.
Kaieteur News reported the strike with the help of the National Mine Workers’ Union (NMWU), and the Canadian company was forced to make a statement about the strike, blaming it on a misunderstanding.
There have been several efforts, over the past few years, to have the workers recognised by the Trade Union Recognition and Certification (TUR&CB). Those efforts, even recently, had met staunch resistance by the administration of AGM Inc.
But due to the strike, the Labour Department was forced to meet with a team of workers, and the union on a separate occasion, to sort out their concerns.
Minister of Labour, Keith Scott, promised both parties that his Ministry would go to the mine on Monday to have a better understanding of the workers’ concerns.
The workers were also promised that their request to be unionised would be expedited. By all indications, NMWU is the choice of the workers, but that will be finalized after the Labour Department conducts a survey.
The workers promised that they would return to normalcy under those conditions.
They started returning to Aurora yesterday, “in a phased approach to ensure orderliness” said a release from Goldfields.
Full production is anticipated to resume shortly.
Suresh Kalathil, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, said, “Personnel are being re-mobilized and the site is ramping back up to normal operations in a phased and safe manner. The Company has agreed to a dialogue with employee representatives and Government authorities to resolve any outstanding issues in full compliance with Guyanese labour laws.”
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