Australian company denies mining illegally in Guyana… as CEO tells ‘disgruntled’ employees find work elsewhere

Nov 08, 2019 News

Troy Resources Guyana Inc. says it is eager to restart its operations but is finding it difficult to obtain additional financing or project insurers given the conundrum with which the company finds itself, a direct result of the operations being shut down because of a death of geologist in one of the pits.
The company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ken Nilsson, in an internal memo issued to the more than 300 employees on Tuesday, sought to provide an update on the ‘perceived path forward.”
According to Nilsson, the company is still awaiting instructions from Government to give “clear instructions on the issue of lifting of instructions…Until this happens, we can’t legally or otherwise, restart operations.”
Lamenting the actions of what he called ‘rogue agitator spreading rumours in the public domain, the CEO denied reports that the company was in fact still mining despite the government halting its operation pending further notice.
Nilsson, instead, claimed that Troy Resources is instead “simply doing remedial work at the direction of GGMC (Guyana Geology and Mines Commission) and doing some repairs to the processing plant.”
In fact, Nilsson said, such is the situation that, “Troy has been looking for additional source of funding but the investment market including project insurers.”
Nilsson, in his memo, in what was interpreted as a veiled threat to workers said, “If you want a strong and effective employer and project with a future, we need to pull together.”
Printed in bold, Nilsson said, “For those that continually complain, please bear in mind your entitlement to find work somewhere else if you are not happy here.”
Speaking with this publication on the condition of anonymity, an employee related that his sentiment was evidence of the attitude displayed to workers by the employers and supervisors.
The employee told this publication that when complaints are made to the supervisors with regards the unsafe conditions under which the employees have to work, they are told bluntly, the company has hundreds of applications from other persons wanting a job.
Nilsson in his memo to the employees observed too that the company pays its employees comparative salaries in Guyana in addition to three meals a day, air-conditioned accommodations, transportation, sporting facilities and other amenities.
It was pointed out, however, that the conditions referred to by the CEO were not something extended to Guyanese but rather to the expatriate workers.
With regards to salaries, it was noted that “everybody is asking what’s going on,” since none of the employees have in fact been paid since the closure.
The assertion by Nilsson that disgruntled employees that had been fired were spreading false rumours but according to the employees, the information that is being made public is in fact truth.
It was noted that the situation had reached a point where mobile phones would be taken away from the employees about to work in any of the pits so that they are unable to document any of the atrocities.”
“People working and seeing what going on, people telling them about the dangers in the pit, when we complain now, they ask where is the evidence…They are forcing people to work and then telling people they got thousands of applications and if you don’t want the work, lef the work,” the employee said.

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