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APNU demands independent probe into mining safety
…calls for full investigation into AGM and its sub-contractors
(Kaieteur News) – Leader of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Aubrey Norton on Friday stated that feedback from miners and interior communities’ points to deepening failures in the country’s governance systems, particularly those responsible for public safety and oversight in the mining sector.
At the party’s press conference, Norton said that recent outreach by APNU, along with reports from workers, observers, and independent stakeholders, highlight long-standing gaps in accountability that threaten citizens’ well-being.
Leader of APNU, Aubrey Norton
APNU noted that frustration over mining safety has intensified, with citizens raising concerns about what they describe as government neglect, a lack of transparency, and an unwillingness to address problems affecting workers in one of the country’s most dangerous industries.
Norton said it is especially alarmed by allegations coming out of Aurora Gold Mines (AGM), where workers have reported hazardous underground conditions, inadequate protective gear, poor accommodation, inconsistent wages, and unfair treatment of Guyanese when compared to foreign employees. The party pointed out that public testimonials and earlier grievances mirror issues raised repeatedly over the past two decades.
Workers at the Chinese-owned Zijin Gold Mountain Ya Mei Construction Inc. claim they are treated like modern-day slaves. Kaieteur News reported 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.
Notably, following viral videos of workers and company officials fighting, the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning had disclosed that there will be an investigation and concerns over the working conditions at the company will be addressed.
For its part, APNU stressed that the concerns raised by the workers are part of a wider pattern. The party outlined multiple fatal pit collapses, accidents, and allegations of environmental and occupational breaches have been recorded across interior mining regions. APNU said that incidents in areas such as Puruni/Kumung Kumung in Region Seven and Konawaruk/Pepper Creek in Region Eight reflect longstanding warnings about unsafe pit designs, weak soils, over-excavation, and poor enforcement.
“No volume of production or level of profit can ever justify conditions that put Guyanese lives at risk. Safety is a national obligation. Guyanese workers must never be treated as expendable. Foreign investors must be required to treat Guyanese workers with dignity and respect and operate within the confines of the law,” Norton said.
He added, “The recurring complaints from mining workers make one thing clear: the problem is not AGM alone the problem is a broken enforcement system that the Government refuses to fix.”
As such, the party called for, a fully independent investigation into AGM and its subcontractors, a national mining safety audit, strict enforcement and meaningful accountability.
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