The United Workers Party acknowledges the objective of the ongoing exercise being conducted by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), in collaboration with the Government of Guyana, to update personal records for miners across the various mining districts.
However, the United Workers Party is calling on the Government of Guyana and the GGMC to extend the current deadline, which is set to expire on Saturday, 31st January 2026.
The Party is deeply concerned that the warning of non-compliance—resulting in the suspension of relevant mining licences—fails to adequately consider the real and practical challenges faced by miners, particularly those operating in remote interior locations. These challenges include, but are not limited to, financial constraints to travel out of mining areas, the high cost of accommodation while conducting business at the GGMC’s central Georgetown office, and the absence of commercial banking services in several mining districts.
The United Workers Party therefore urges the authorities to adopt a more practical and inclusive approach, including the decentralised use of regional GGMC offices to provide these services. Miners should not be forced to travel all the way to Georgetown to comply with administrative requirements when alternatives exist.
A reasonable extension of the deadline, coupled with decentralised service delivery, would ensure compliance without unfairly penalising hardworking miners who already operate under difficult economic and geographic conditions.
Yours truly,
Lorenzo Joseph
United Workers Party
