Workers cry out over ‘slave-like’ conditions at Chinese gold mine

Nov 26, 2025 News

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…Labour Ministry launches probe, says first time concerns raised

(Kaieteur News) – Despite earning an estimated $70 billion from 136,539 ounces of gold in 2024, workers at the Chinese-owned Zijin Gold Mountain Ya Mei Construction Inc. claim they are treated like modern-day slaves.

In a statement issued on Tuesday evening following viral videos of workers and company officials fighting, the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning has moved swiftly to address growing concerns over the working conditions at the company.

The video clips allege issues relating to workers’ health and safety, wages, and delayed salary increases. Minister of Labour and Manpower Planning, Keoma Griffith, confirmed that no formal complaints had been lodged prior to the release of the videos. “This is the first time these concerns have been brought to our attention in such a public manner, and we will treat them with the seriousness they deserve,” he said.

In response, Minister Griffith has instructed the Ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department to launch an immediate and thorough investigation into the allegations. The ministry will also consult all relevant stakeholders to verify facts and determine the proper course of action. Regarding wage disputes and benefits, the minister urged both employees and employers to come forward and engage in a peaceful conciliation process at the ministry, in line with the Labour Act, which is designed to ensure fairness and resolution for all parties involved.

Minister Griffith reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to upholding workers’ rights and ensuring that workplaces across Guyana are safe and healthy. He stressed that while the Labour Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act provide the legal framework for employer-employee relations, the ministry remains focused on strengthening protections and enforcing compliance across all sectors.

Kaieteur News understands that the workers are assigned to the underground mine at AGM, a company owned by Zijin Mining Group Limited.  Although the Zijin owns and operates the mine, the disgruntled workers are not employed directly with the Chinese mining company.

Zijin has reportedly sub-contracted another Chinese company called Gold Mountain Ya Mei Construction to execute works. However, according to its Facebook page, the company specializes in construction. But workers have disclosed that they are not involved in construction but instead they work as miners carrying out mining activities which include blasting with dynamites and the extraction of ore in the underground mine. They detailed that the working conditions, accommodation and food are atrocious.

As a result, the frustrated workers petitioned their Chinese bosses outlining their frustrations and making requests. Over 93 employees signed the petition which was given to the company’s management on Friday.

A disgruntled worker identified as only as Michael told Kaieteur News that the petition was given “to management and management never attended to us.”

The workers gave the company a 48-hour ultimatum or they would down tools. After receiving no response, the workers downed tools forcing the company’s management to convene a meeting.

However, the management refused to meet the workers’ demands which also included an increase in their overtime allowance. In the petition, the workers asked for an increase from $3500 to $7000 but this was rejected.

“They say the AGM company do not pay so much and they (the sub-contracted company) cannot pay their workers (them) so much, they are working with AGM Standard,” Michael said while adding, “Mind You, AGM do not deal with underground mining.”

“Every time we ask them about an increase, they are always saying AGM workers working for XYZ. So, we have to work for XYZ,” Michael explained.

Meanwhile, the petition which was shared with Kaieteur News included among other things, contaminated food being served by the company.

“Employees have found dust, fly eggs, and worms in meals provided. This is a serious health and sanitation concern and it shows lack of proper food handling and hygiene standards,” the petition said.

The workers demanded that it be corrected and an investigation be launched.

Michael said too that workers are being forced to eat their lunch underground where they work and not in an assigned eating room away from the mines. A move he regards as unsafe and unhealthy.

Further, the workers detailed that they are not paid on time noting that regularly they have to wait prolonged periods to receive their pay. This they said is unfair, noting that they too have family responsibilities.

The workers also complained about the unsanitary conditions which they are forced to sleep in and the poor quality of the drinking water they are being provided. The lack of protective gear and masks for the underground workers is another matter raised by the workers.

Michael explained that after dynamite blasting, the dust that emanates affects the workers since they do not wear masks. Requests for masks are always denied with management saying, ‘They don’t need it because the dynamite they use is the safe kind.”

Notwithstanding the complaints, the Chinese employers refused to make any changes- particularly to the insanitary conditions or negotiate for better wages and salaries.

Meanwhile, in a series of press releases and videos, the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party has documented some of the alleged atrocities at the company urging the government to take immediate action. The party said that the company’s underground mining operations are highly profitable, yet employees say their health, safety, and overall wellbeing are routinely compromised. According to the party, workers report inadequate safety measures, with personal protective equipment (PPE) often old or unavailable for local staff, while Chinese workers receive proper gear. The party said that equipment and vehicles, including loaders and lifting machinery, are poorly maintained, with some machinery lacking functional brakes.

Additionally, WIN says meals for local employees are transported in unhygienic conditions, exposed to dust and contaminants, sometimes spoiled and containing worms with no temperature control or designated dining facilities. In contrast, WIN said Chinese staff have access to air-conditioned dining rooms. In the area of salary and other benefits, WIN says wage disparities and delayed payments further aggravate the workforce. The party noted that underground personnel, working more than 1,500 feet below ground, earn roughly $500 per hour during probation, with minimal increases after six months, despite hazardous conditions. Workers say requests for fair compensation are denied, and complaints are met with threats of termination and replacement by foreign staff, WIN reported. The company’s practices, the party said violate labour rights, safety standards, and fair treatment principles, leaving local workers vulnerable and unheard.

No regard for life

Stressing that the company has a history of treating Guyanese poorly, WIN referenced a 2023 case where it said a Guyanese was treated as second-class citizen in his own country. “A husband, father lost his life in 2023 at foreign-owned gold mining operation, Aurora Gold mines after he was forced to drive a truck that had known mechanical faults. His bereaved family stated to Mr. Azruddin Mohamed that the night before the tragic accident, he called his family stating Truck#1 had brake problems and the management was aware of these issues. They further report that his body was callously dumped in a pickup and taken to a health facility because there was no ambulance at the multibillion-dollar work site. The family has given permission for the story and images to be shared publicly,” WIN said. WIN is calling for answers and an immediate, transparent report from the Ministry of Labour on these recurring issues with foreign Chinese companies. “No Guyanese worker should die under questionable circumstances while their families are left without information or justice,” the party said.

“Reference is made to our story posted yesterday about the largest gold mining company in Guyana, Chinese-owned, Zijin Gold Mountain Ya Mei Construction Inc. What you see below is a local worker, who has contracted a lung infection as a result of working underground and being exposed to dust for extended periods, venting his frustration to the company’s management team, which has refused to provide him with proper personal protective equipment such as masks, filters, gloves etc. The worker upon requesting PPE, was cursed at by the Chinese,” WIN said.

Similarly, The Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP) headed by former woman miner, Simona Broomes in a statement said, “Guyana cannot boast of being the “fastest-growing economy in the world” while some of our workers face conditions that mirror labour trafficking, and are paid wages as though we were still a third-world country.”

The statement said that at the Zijin Mining Aurora Goldfield Operation, “worker Mr. Kester Valladares reports being paid $550 GYD per hour on probation and $639 GYD per hour after probation, for 12-hour shifts in unsafe underground tunnels. When he spoke out, he was fired immediately.”

According to the ALP, Valladares said that among other things, workers carry out their duties in extreme dust, smoke and toxic fumes, are forced to inhale cigarette smoke inside sealed vehicles, are told, “If you don’t want the smoke, come out and walk”, wait hours after shifts, soaked and exhausted and have developed lung infections.

He alleged that no official from the Ministry of Labour visited the work site in over a year.

“Most affected are young men from Regions 6 and 10 — exploited while the nation’s wealth is shipped out.

The contrast is staggering: Guyana declared 208,757 ounces of gold in the first half of 2025 (Source: Guyana Times, Nov 5 2025) and in 2024 declared 434,497 ounces, earning nearly US $989.9 million (Source: Guyana Times). Yet the workers extracting that wealth earn less than $700 GYD per hour. This is not investment. This is exploitation. This is an unsafe work environment,” ALP said.

The ALP in its statement demanded “a full, public investigation into wages, PPE, safety, health risks, food, housing, insurance, medical care, and pay discrimination between Chinese and Guyanese workers.”

The party has also asked for full compensation for Valladares where all wages, leave, benefits owed, and pay up to the date of his dismissal be given to him.

“Permanent monitoring of Zijin Underground through unannounced inspections and strict OSH enforcement,” ALP said while noting that “Guyana cannot claim prosperity while treating workers as expendable. Our rights are not optional — and the ALP will not be silent.”

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• ‘slave-like’ conditions, Chinese gold mine

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