BOSAI strike called off

Sep 26, 2025 News

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…union, company to commence conciliation talks on Monday

Kaieteur News – Strike action by workers of the Chinese-owned BOSAI Bauxite Mining Company in Linden over better wages was called off on Thursday following intervention by the Ministry of Labour. And the parties shall meet at the Ministry of Labour to commence conciliation talks on Monday.

Monday’s conciliation meeting will set out to bring all issues that led to the strike action to the forefront with the aim of coming to an amicable and fair resolution for all parties, the ministry said in a press release. “The Ministry of Labour remains dedicated to fostering a harmonious industrial relations climate and welcomes the constructive step taken by both parties to end the strike and pursue conciliation in good faith,” the release added.

According to the ministry it sought to engage the management of the company and the workers’ representatives- National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) on the issue. The Chief Labour Officer, Mr. Dhaneshwar Deonarine, chaired a meeting with the parties where several issues arose and several proposals were put forward in an effort to bring the strike action to an end.  As part of the Terms of Resumption the parties agreed that the union shall call off the strike with immediate effect; the union will undertake to ensure that there is full resumption by all workers on September 26, 2025 and that there shall be no victimisation by either party, and the status quo ante shall remain.

Meanwhile, the employees began their strike action on Wednesday after negotiations for an eight percent salary increase fell through. The employees stopped working late Wednesday evening and held strike actions Thursday in front of the company’s gate.

Well placed sources told Kaieteur News on Wednesday evening that the workers demanded an eight percent salary increase for the year 2025 and an 8.5 percent increase for 2026. Then negotiations ended in deadlock when the company’s management refused to meet their demands offering them a 7 percent increase instead. For the workers it was eight percent or nothing, so they immediately downed tools after talks fell through.

Their actions sparked response from the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) and We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) political parties. Nigel London a FG M representative met with the workers on Wednesday evening a few hours after they downed tools while the Leader of WIN, Azruddin Mohamed met with them on Thursday.  Mohamed in a Facebook live told the workers, “We are not going to allow no foreign investor or local businessmen to treat our citizens as second-class citizens,” before asking them to share some of the issues they were grappling with.

The workers took turns voicing their concerns. One of the workers told the WIN leader that the salary they currently receive is like a stipend. “The first thing is that we does draw a stipend we don’t draw a salary.” “We give these men a reasonable proposal because every year was 6.5 (percent), 5 point this and all kind of stuff, so we said 8. 5 percent this year 9 next year. Dem seh nah so we aright, we come down to 8 (percent) 8.5 (Percent), them still nah want that

“We ain’t want hear nothing bout 7 (percent) it’s too long we been oppressed in our country by these bannas. I fed up of that,” the disgruntled worker added.

According to him, the Chinese bosses would say they are not making money but he is not buying that. “Pack up and leave if yuh ain’t meking profit” the man continued as he vented his frustration. His colleagues agreed with him that BOSAI is always “singing a sad tune to avoid giving us a raise.”  They claimed that company continues to expand its operations in Region 10 and has even bought new fleet of vehicles.

Others raised concerns that the company has Chinese nationals in their employ who they allegedly pay better salaries than the locals.  The workers also complained that safety protocols are being breached by the company and working conditions are poor.

Following the meeting with the workers the WIN party called on the government to act quickly.

In a statement the party said that it stands in solidarity with BOSAI workers as they raise critical concerns about safety, fair treatment, and respect on the job. “Issues such as unsafe machinery, sick leave, lunch breaks, fair wages, and adherence to labour laws are not privileges; they are basic rights”, the party stated while adding “We urge BOSAI, the unions, and the Ministry of Labour to continue dialogue in good faith and deliver a just resolution that protects workers and supports the Region 10 economy.”

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• Azruddin Mohamed, Bauxite Mining Company, Bosai, Linden, Ministry of Labour, strike

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