Min Hamilton’s inaction on BCGI severance pay scandal exposes PPP Govt’s indifference to workers’ rights

As the government touts its efforts to recover millions in unpaid wages for workers, a glaring and unresolved injustice continues to fester under the watch of Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton. The workers of the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI), a joint venture between the Government of Guyana  and Russia Aluminum (RUSAL), are still waiting for a fair resolution to their severance payments, which were calculated wrongfully, leaving them shortchanged.

Hamilton’s refusal to intervene and address this issue underscores the government’s deep failure to protect the rights of workers, especially those who have been victimized by corporate malfeasance and official indifference.

In 2020, BCGI deliberately used an incorrect formula to calculate severance payments for workers who had been terminated.

This flawed formula led to workers being paid significantly less than what they were entitled to under the law. The Termination and Severance Pay Act (Cap 99:08) clearly outlines how benefits should be calculated, but BCGI’s actions directly conflicted with this legislation, depriving workers of hundreds of thousands of dollars in rightful severance.

Despite multiple requests from the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) for the Ministry of Labour to step in and initiate conciliation, Hamilton and his ministry refused to take action. The workers’ union sought to resolve the issue through peaceful negotiation and correction of the miscalculation, but Hamilton’s refusal to engage in conciliation left them with no recourse. This is not only a direct violation of the workers’ rights but a blatant failure of the ministry to uphold justice for working-class people.

Workers are still denied proper severance payments

General Secretary of the GB&GWU, Lincoln Lewis, has been vocal in condemning the PPP government’s indifference to the plight of these workers. In an exclusive interview with Village Voice News, Lewis accused the Jagdeo-Ali regime of continuing the policy of “economic genocide” against the African community, asserting that this is just one more example of the government’s systemic disregard for the rights and dignity of workers. “In this instance,” Lewis said, “it is a situation where the Jagdeo/Ali regime believes workers must not be paid what they are entitled to under the laws but what the regime believes workers should be given.”

The fact that the workers are still denied proper severance payments while the government boasts of recovering over $200 million in unpaid wages across various sectors is nothing short of hypocrisy, Lewis contends.

In a recent press briefing, Minister Hamilton proudly announced that the Ministry of Labour had recovered a significant sum, including $31.7 million in 2024 alone, for workers across the country. However, this boast rings hollow when it ignores the Ministry’s outright failure to adjudicate the BCGI severance issue, which continues to haunt the workers who were wronged by BCGI’s underhanded practices.

Lewis said the minister’s attempt to position himself as a champion of workers’ rights is further undermined by his complete inaction in this case.

He shared that while Hamilton highlighted the ministry’s outreach programmes, including the newly launched labour app designed to help workers file complaints without fear of reprisal, his efforts appear to be little more than a public relations stunt.

The general secretary said “The ministry’s focus on helping workers lodge complaints is commendable, but it means little when high-profile cases like BCGI go unresolved.”

Ministry’s failure to address the wrongful calculation of severance payments

In an ironic twist, the ministry’s failure to address the wrongful calculation of severance payments also coincides with Hamilton’s condemnation of employers who evade accountability, such as those who change business names to avoid prosecution. Yet, it is clear that BCGI, one of the most powerful players in the local mining sector, continues to evade the scrutiny it so desperately deserves under Hamilton’s watch.

For years, the workers of BCGI have fought for their rightful severance pay, but their struggle has fallen on deaf ears within the Ministry of Labour. The government has had every opportunity to right this wrong, but instead, they have chosen to protect their political allies and corporate partners while ignoring the suffering of the people who helped build this nation’s economy.

“The question must be asked: why does the government continue to shield BCGI and its corporate partners, allowing them to get away with injustice and exploitation? Is this the “worker-friendly” government they claim to be, or is this just another instance of the PPP’s failure to live up to its promises?” Lewis posits.

The people of Guyana deserve better than empty boasts and unkept promises, Lewis said. “It is high time that Minister Hamilton and the PPP regime stop grandstanding and address the real issues facing workers, particularly the unresolved severance pay debacle at BCGI. Until they do, their claims of protecting workers’ rights will remain nothing more than hollow rhetoric.” The workers at BCGI deserve justice, and they should not have to wait any longer, the trade unionist asserts.