…as bauxite shipping company closes operation in Guyana
Guyana’s teetering economy was on Tuesday dealt another blow with the announcement that another 132 persons have been placed on the breadline.
Trans-shipment operations in Guyana [Oldendorff photo]
Oldendorff Carriers Guyana Incorporated (OCGI)—the shipping company that has been barging and providing trans-shipment operations for bauxite exports on the Berbice River for the Russian-owned Bauxite Company of Guyana (BCGI)—has announced that it has had to close its operations in Guyana.
The company made the announcement through its Public Relations Firm, Tagman Media, which in a public release noted that the action was due to the fact that BCGI “has decided to suspend and mothball its operation in Guyana and thus not to extend the operational contract with OCGI.”
The company said that consequently, “OCGI is forced to wind down operations in Guyana. OCGI currently employs 132 Guyanese in the Berbice region.
Tagman Media has since indicated that OCGI on Tuesday delivered the Letters of Notice to the office of the Chief Labour Officer and the workers’ union.
According to the statement, “the company will work closely with the Chief Labour Officer to ensure that the wind-down is done in accordance with Guyanese law.”
The company said it will also work together with the Ministry of Social Protection and the Department of Labour to ensure that all employees receive their due compensation under Guyanese law.
Additionally, OCGI committed to working “with our employees, the Government and other stakeholders to redeploy employees affected by the wind-down.”
According to OCGI “it is with the deepest regret that OCGI must close its operations in Guyana. Over the past 15 years, OCGI has developed a very dedicated and loyal workforce who have performed very well, often under difficult conditions”.
The company said “OCGI is very proud of what it has achieved together with its employees in Guyana. OCGI has developed wonderful working relationships with the people of Guyana, particularly in New Amsterdam and up the Berbice River, and the company is truly sad to leave this beautiful country”.
Govt’s failure to deal with crisis
The decision comes on the heels of months of tension and industrial unrest at BCGI.
That company at the beginning of the year terminated the services of more than 140 of its staff as the coalition A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (AFC) Government failed to intervene with regards to fuel concessions it had requested.
Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had later slammed the Administration’s failure to deal with the crisis at the time when BCGI had suspended its operations which led to protest action by scores of workers, blocking the river in the process.
Government owns a 10 per cent stake in the company.
A letter from the company dated January 29, 2020, which was seen by Guyana Times, indicated that the company was forced to further reduce operations and to lay-off employees, owing to adverse operating circumstances including shipment interruption because of the blockage of the Berbice River.
In fact, other Private Sector companies operating in the area were also forced to send home their workers as a result of the blockage hindering their operations to move materials up and down the Berbice River. The police have since moved in to remove the blockade from the river but were faced with resistance from the workers and their families.
