‘Aurora unrest exposes collapse of trade union power’ — Ramkarran

Dec 01, 2025 News

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 …warns of looming crisis for Guyanese workers

(Kaieteur News) – Former Speaker of the National Assembly and Senior Counsel Ralph Ramkarran has warned that the recent unrest at Aurora Gold Mines (AGM) is not an isolated labour dispute but the most visible symptom of a collapsed and weakened trade union movement in Guyana, one that is no longer capable of defending workers in a rapidly expanding economy.

Ramkarran points to decades of political manipulation, historical fractures within the labour movement, and the gradual disappearance of union militancy that once defined Guyanese labour activism. His analysis comes days after Kaieteur News reported a major flare-up at AGM’s Region Seven operations, where workers without union representation protested over poor working conditions, food shortages, alleged disrespect by supervisors, and unpaid overtime. The situation escalated to the point where the Ministry of Labour dispatched a high-level team to mediate issues normally handled by a recognised union.

This newspaper reported last week workers at the Chinese-owned Zijin Gold Mountain Ya Mei Construction Inc. claim they are treated like modern-day slaves. 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 specialises 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

In his column Sunday column- Conversation Tree, Ramkarran a former central executive member of the PPP/C recalls that Caribbean trade unionism was born out of the worker uprisings of the 1930s, when poverty drove mass unrest. He traced the growth of the movement here, noting that the 1992-1997 PPP/C Government gave priority to the views of trade unions and finally, after forty years, passed the Trade Union Recognition Act. However, he said the militancy and drive for expansion by the trade union movement, after its initial heightened profile in 1992-1997, has completely disappeared as the recognition of its importance as a vital partner by governmental authorities has declined. “The decline of the trade union movement has resulted in the workers at the Aurora Gold Mines having no union representation necessitating the Ministry of Labour having to intervene to do the work that a trade union ought to have done a long time ago. Today, in a rapidly growing economy, Guyana needs a rapidly growing and militant trade union movement to defend and protect the rights and interests of workers at Aurora Gold Mines and in hundreds of businesses countrywide. Unless the dynamism and militancy of the trade union movement at this critical time in Guyana’s history returns, and it holds employers to account with the support of the Government, basic rights and protections of workers will disappear.”

Meanwhile, the Aurora flare-up has triggered swift responses from political actors. Last week in a series of press releases and videos, the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party 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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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• Aurora Gold Mines, Ralph Ramkarran, trade union power, unrest, Zijin Mining Group Limited

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