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‘We bring our own trucks due to poor work culture in Guyana’ – Chinese Association
…claims Guyanese truckers refuse weekend and holiday work
(Kaieteur News) – The Association of Chinese Enterprises in Guyana on Tuesday dismissed claims that Chinese are taking away jobs from Guyanese. The Association, in a statement, refuted the allegation stating that locals have only themselves to blame as they refuse to work on weekends and holidays and that this affects project schedules for Chinese companies.
The statement comes following protests last week by truckers who called for an even playing field in the trucking sector.
About a dozen truckers told Kaieteur News that foreign companies, especially Chinese, are “eating-up everything” leaving them without work and forcing them into economic hardships.
The local truckers are alleging that government incentives granted to the foreigners such as duty-free concessions are giving them an unfair advantage in the local market.
Local truckers protesting last Wednesday against a foreign takeover of the Guyanese trucking industry.
However, the Chinese association made it clear that its members have always operated in compliance with local laws and regulations.
“In the transportation of construction materials for relevant infrastructure projects, Chinese initially cooperated smoothly with local transport providers”, the Association stated before adding “However, as project demand increased, local transportation capacity became insufficient for large volume and continuous delivery, while some providers experienced frequent delays or suspended services on weekends and public holidays causing interruptions and affecting project schedules.”
Further, the Chinese organization said that to avoid the delays the Chinese companies invested in vehicles and established their own fleet to ensure project delivery and fulfil commitments to the government and not to take over the local market.
“These transport fleets continue to prioritize hiring hundreds of the local drivers, who make up a vast majority of drivers, while providing stable jobs, lawful pay and training,” the association further claimed.
The Association called on all parties in the sector to view the “matter’ objectively and to strengthen communication and work together in supporting Guyana’s development while enhancing China-Guyana Friendship.
The truck drivers and owners who protested at the roundabout of the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge told Kaieteur News that foreign companies, entering Guyana to do road works but are also using their trucks to private work.
“…Killing the market price for us, as for instance, they going till to Ogle where the price is like $60,000 per a load of sand, they carrying it for $50,000, some doing it for $45,000,” S. Ahmed one of the truckers told reporters.
Last week’s protest was not the first-time truckers have protested due to an uneven playing field in the trucking industry.
In May last year, truck drivers staged two days of protests in the mining town of Linden, Region Ten over an alleged foreign takeover of the trucking and businesses in Guyana and locals being unable to get ‘a bite’.
In response to that protest action, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill assured that Chinese are not getting any duty-free concessions for their trucks.
“The only thing that was duty-free was the mill which is operating inside the quarry (Chinese-owned quarry), so if the Chinese bought trucks and are operating it, they are buying it just like you,” the minister told the truckers.
He had promised that the government will intervene to stop local truckers from being side-lined when it comes to lifting stones from a Chinese owned quarry at Arisaru Mountain, Region Ten – an issue that local truckers had raised with Kaieteur News back in February 2025.
Despite the minister’s assurances, the local truck drivers were dissatisfied and called on the government to clamp down on the number of trucks, which the Chinese are allowed to import.
The minister had acknowledged that there is competition on the market over rates but declined to comment further noting that “Guyana is open for business”.
Notwithstanding, he assured that “the government will not sit idly by and allow Guyanese to be taken advantage of, even in that open environment.
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