Govt. accused of coddling quarry firm amid human trafficking, forced labour scandal

May 19, 2026 News

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By Khadidja Ba

(Kaieteur News) – The Ministry of Labour is facing public backlash over what critics call a dangerously weak response to shocking allegations of forced labour, human trafficking, and severe exploitation at an interior mining quarry.

On Monday, the ministry announced an official probe into the “alleged abuse of foreign workers in Region Seven” by Ekaa Hrim Earth Resources Management, which operates in Batavia Village.

However, the administration’s handling of the crisis immediately sparked public outcry. Despite overwhelming, visible evidence of systemic illegality, including the illegal confiscation of passports and employment contracts that openly flout Guyanese law, the ministry granted the mining company a 24-hour grace period to respond, rather than initiating immediate state-level prosecutions.

The depth of the crisis unfolded in real-time on Monday at the ministry’s Brickdam office. A group of 37 Indian nationals arrived at 9:30 AM seeking protection. By 11:00 AM, a multi-agency task force, including the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Unit from the Ministry of Home Affairs and representatives from the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, arrived on the scene.

It was not until 2:30 PM, following state intervention, that company representatives finally handed back the workers’ passports. Yet, the ordeal was far from over. Past 8:00 PM last night, the Indian nationals were still at the ministry, being interviewed individually by the task force.

In its press release, the ministry appeared to tout the return of the documents as a victory: “The issue of passports was raised and as a result of the intervention made by Minister Griffith, that matter has already been rectified and the passports have been returned to the workers.” However, this statement has been perceived by many as an unwitting admission of criminal activity occurring right under the ministry’s nose. The fact that the passports had to be “returned” proves they were unlawfully withheld in the first place.

According to the Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act of Guyana:

“Any person who for the purpose of trafficking in persons, and acting or purporting to act as another person’s employer… knowingly procures, destroys, conceals, removes, confiscates, or possesses any passport… belonging to another person commits an offence and shall on summary conviction be fined one million dollars together with imprisonment for not more than five years.”

Critics argue that by treating this severe statutory offense as a mere administrative dispute to be “rectified” through dialogue, the ministry is undermining the rule of law and signaling to abusive employers that they can violate human rights with impunity.

Exploitative Contracts Expose Modern-Day Indentured Labour

Contracts signed by the Indian nationals, seen directly by this publication, paint a grim picture of coercive labour practices designed to trap foreign workers in the remote Region Seven jurisdiction. A comparison between the Ekaa Hrim employment contract terms and the Guyana Labour Law Standard reveals significant deviations from local statutory requirements regarding working hours. While the Ekaa Hrim contract mandates a demanding schedule of 12 hours per day and 72 hours per week, Guyanese labour standards strictly dictate a standard eight-hour workday and a 40-hour workweek, allowing a maximum of 48 hours only in specific industries.

Furthermore, the contract’s policy on overtime pay directly contradicts national legal mandates. Ekaa Hrim terms deny overtime compensation if the extra hours are worked to meet targets or compensate for weather delays. In contrast, Guyana Labour Law establishes that overtime pay is mandatory for any work performed that exceeds the standard daily or weekly limits, regardless of the operational reasons behind the extra hours.

Finally, the exit and resignation penalties outlined in the Ekaa Hrim contract pose severe compliance issues regarding workers’ rights. The contract stipulates that leaving the work site or the country without written permission constitutes “absconding” and triggers a hefty USD $5,000 penalty. Under Guyanese law, such clauses are entirely unenforceable, as the legal standard guarantees freedom of movement and explicitly declares mandatory financial penalties for resigning from employment to be illegal.

The contracts explicitly state that the workers’ base salary covers 72 hours a week, a blatant violation of Guyana’s Labour Act and the National Minimum Wage Order. Furthermore, the USD $5,000 “abandonment fee” effectively acts as a financial chokehold, ensuring workers cannot flee abusive conditions without facing financial ruin.

The human toll of EKAA Hrim’s operations extends far beyond economic exploitation. Photographic evidence obtained by this newspaper shows the horrific physical toll on the workforce, including an image of an Indian national who lost multiple fingers while working at the company’s quarry under allegedly substandard Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) conditions.

Most damningly, the ministry confirmed it is investigating the reported death of a worker at the site on May 12, 2026. Despite a dead worker, mutilated laborers, illegal contracts, and clear indicators of human trafficking, the ministry’s decision to grant EKAA HRIM 24 hours to formulate an excuse has been heavily condemned as an inadequate, toothless response to a humanitarian crisis.

The joint task force consisting of the Guyana Police Force and the TIP Unit continues its investigations. Public scrutiny now turns to Minister Keoma Griffith to see whether the state will enforce the full weight of Guyana’s anti-trafficking laws, or allow corporate interests to dictate the boundaries of human dignity.

KN previously reported the catalyst for the workers’ asking for help was the sudden death of Sekhar Chhetri at the quarry, alongside a general environment of unaddressed workplace hazards. KN understands that the workers communicated to Guyanese who live nearby their working area. Those persons then reached out to the leader of the opposition who then met with them and publicly raised these concerns.

“We have some safety issues and so on, that’s why we don’t want to continue there,” a labourer stated grimly. “One of our colleagues was working, he just died. That’s why we are scared about that and we want to get from there.”

When workers confronted management regarding the lack of safety protocols, the company reportedly deflected, asking them: “Where is the proof? You say no safety. Where is the proof? You have any evidence?” Workers countered by pointing directly to the fatalities and severe physical injuries, noting, “One man cut his hand, one man died.”

Compounding the safety hazards is the extreme geographic and logistical isolation of the Batavia quarry site. Workers reported a complete lack of proper medical facilities and highly unreliable transportation infrastructure. The site relies entirely on a water journey via boats, which are frequently unavailable when needed.

The workers also voiced deep frustration to KN at a total lack of oversight from regulatory bodies over the last two years, “No labour commissioner or minister has come there. The health minister also not come there. Safety Department, don’t ask. Never visited.”

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• Ekaa Hrim, Ekaa Hrim Earth Resources Management, forced labour, human trafficking, Ministry of Labour

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