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72-Hour Ultimatum: Attorneys Demand Pay, Return Tickets for Indian Quarry Workers
(Kaieteur News) – Attorneys for the 37 striking Indian quarry workers have issued a strict 72-hour ultimatum to EKAA Hrim Earth Resources Management Inc., drawing a sharp contrast that bypasses the longer compliance window proposed by the government which ends on May 27, 2026.
The demand, dispatched by attorneys Eusi Anderson and Donulla Corry, on May 22, 2026 and seen by Kaieteur News, dictates that company director Saju Bhaskar must fully disburse all outstanding wages and secure immediate return airfares to India by 5:00 PM on Monday, May 25, 2026.
This deadline deliberately undercuts an announcement by the Ministry of Labour on Friday, which stated that management had committed to settling outstanding salaries “on or before May 27, 2026.” By forcing an earlier deadline, the legal team rejects the state’s multi-day extension, framing the workers’ plight as a severe humanitarian crisis that cannot wait on government-brokered timelines.
The Indian Nationals are demanding repatriation to India and owed payments from EKAA HRIM.
The urgency of the legal team’s mandate stems from a series of escalating crises at the company’s river island quarry in Batavia, Region Seven. The facility has been paralyzed by the 37-member labour strike since May 13, 2026, after a worker died under uninvestigated conditions on May 12, just one day after another labourer lost four fingers in a machinery accident. The legal filing highlights a total absence of first aid kits, emergency medical infrastructure, or marine transport to the mainland, leaving injured personnel trapped on the island.
To guarantee that local administrative mechanisms do not stall the process, the attorneys have copied the strict Monday deadline to Minister of Labour and Manpower Planning Keoma Griffith, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd, and the Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken. Crucially, the legal challenge has also been escalated internationally to U.S. Ambassador Nicole Theriot, the Indian High Commissioner, and India’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar, warning that criminal and civil proceedings will be launched immediately if the May 25 deadline is breached.
The demand letter alleges that management utilized armed security personnel to force workers into an on-site “jail” at gunpoint when they attempted to object to hazardous occupational environments. Five clients were reportedly detained in this makeshift confinement for periods spanning days to weeks. The filing further notes that the workers’ passports were systematically confiscated upon arrival in Guyana, a matter only recently rectified following state intervention.
Contractual exploitation forms a core component of the legal challenge. Copies of the multi-page contracts reveal clauses requiring workers to pay EKAA Hrim a “management fee” of US$3,000 if terminated for poor performance, and a US$5,000 penalty if they leave before the conclusion of their 24-month term. The workers allege they were forced to endure grueling 12-hour shifts, six days a week, with regular pay and overtime lumped together to obscure their actual earnings. Furthermore, unauthorized monthly deductions were taken from their wages under the guise of a “security deposit.”
Living conditions at the site are described as highly degrading. The 37 men reportedly reside in unsanitary, open quarters vulnerable to severe weather where vermin breed freely. The document states that they were fed a monotonous, waterlogged diet of rice and peas three times a day, six days a week, prepared in a manner resembling dog food.
Religious freedoms were allegedly restricted, including the denial of bereavement leave for a worker to mourn his brother, and during the 2025 regional elections, the foreign nationals were reportedly compelled to nail up political banners in Bartica.
Company representatives have publicly denied the allegations, maintaining that accommodation and food standards met proper criteria, and claiming that March salaries were settled while April and May balances would be paid during the month.However, the company has remained silent on funding return airfares.
Counsel Eusi Anderson confirmed that the legal team holds comprehensive photographic, video, and documentary evidence to substantiate every claim. By prioritizing the firm May 25 deadline over the Ministry of Labour’s May 27 allowance, the legal team has signaled that any failure by EKAA Hrim to provide immediate back pay and repatriation tickets by Monday evening will result in immediate local litigation.
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In this age of civilization, it baffles me that such slavish and inhumane conditions can be inflicted on people, especially in Guyana. Our history bore the darkness of slavery and indentureship which the world has fought vehemently to eradicate. They were robbed of human decency and dignity to say the least. I hope they be given their dues, together with plane tickets and their passports. What about criminal charges on the employers. I would love to see such people face the court of Justice. I hope President Ali, a man of empathy and fairness is paying attention.