Former Georgetown Mayor Pt. Ubraj Narine has condemned the treatment of 38 Indian nationals employed at EKAA Quarry, describing the situation as “disturbing, shameful, and embarrassing” and arguing that it exposes serious weaknesses in labour protection and government oversight in Guyana.
In a letter published today in Village Voice News, Narine said the plight of the workers may never have come to public attention had Leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party and Leader of the Opposition and Azruddin Mohamed, not intervened and brought the matter into the public domain.
“If it was not for the bold move by the Leader of the Opposition, Azruddin Mohamed, this matter might have been swept quietly under the carpet, just like so many others before it,” Narine wrote.
The controversy erupted last week when allegations emerged that 38 Indian nationals employed at the EKAA HRIM Earth Resources quarry were living and working under inhumane conditions in Guyana’s interior. Public concern intensified following the death of one of the workers and claims by the labourers that their passports had been confiscated by their employer.
The workers disclosed their circumstances to Mohamed and members of the media during a visit to the quarry site. Following intervention by the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning, the passports were subsequently returned to the workers. Authorities later removed the labourers from the quarry and placed them under state supervision while investigations continue.
The allegations have sparked widespread condemnation from opposition political parties and civil society organisations, many of which have called for an independent investigation into both the worker’s death and the conditions under which the labourers were recruited, housed and employed.
The allegations have intensified scrutiny of labour law enforcement, migrant worker protections, workplace inspections and occupational health and safety standards in Guyana’s rapidly expanding mining and extractive sectors.
Narine said the developments point to deeper systemic problems in the treatment of workers and the enforcement of labour standards.
“Workers suffering, people being exploited, and the government looking the other way until public pressure becomes too loud to ignore,” he stated.
The former mayor also urged Guyanese to remain vigilant and continue speaking out against perceived injustices regardless of which political party is in office.
“That’s why we must never move away from protesting against any government,” he wrote.
Addressing Indo-Guyanese directly, Narine argued that citizens should not assume political loyalty guarantees protection from hardship or unfair treatment.
“I want to say this plainly to my Indo-Guyanese brothers and sisters: do not fool yourselves into thinking that the PPP will treat you better because of race or history,” he said. “The same party that claims to represent you has shown, over and over, that it has no problem mistreating its own supporters.”
Narine was also critical of the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning and Minister Keoma Griffith, expressing doubts about the effectiveness of labour law enforcement.
“As for the Minister of Labour, Keoma Griffith, I do not expect much action,” he wrote. “Plenty talk, little to no enforcement.”
The concerns raised by Narine mirror those expressed by the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), which on Monday called for an immediate investigation into both the death of the worker at the quarry and the conditions under which the foreign workers were employed.
In a statement, the GTUC said the issue extends beyond a single death at one quarry and touches fundamentally on the future of labour relations in Guyana, the management of foreign labour, workplace inspections, occupational health and safety enforcement, and whether economic expansion is being pursued at the expense of workers’ rights and human dignity.
The labour body called for an immediate and independent investigation into the death at the EKAA HRIM Earth Resources quarry; a comprehensive review of labour practices involving foreign workers operating in Guyana; full disclosure of the employment, immigration and occupational safety arrangements under which the workers were engaged; stronger enforcement of occupational health and safety standards across the mining and extractive sectors; and greater parliamentary and public scrutiny of the State’s management of labour mobility and migrant worker protections.
The GTUC also called on the Ministries responsible for Labour and Manpower Planning, Home Affairs and Natural Resources to publicly account for the systems currently in place to monitor the welfare, safety, movement and legal protections of foreign workers operating in remote hinterland locations under often dangerous and isolated conditions.
“Economic development cannot and must not be built on weak labour oversight, silence, or indifference. The Government has an obligation to ensure that every worker in this country—Guyanese or foreign—is protected under the law and treated with dignity,” GTUC General Secretary Lincoln Lewis said.
The GTUC has since dispatched a letter on the matter to Minister Griffith seeking answers and action.
Narine, meanwhile, argued that the circumstances surrounding the Indian workers reflected deeper governance concerns and drew comparisons with historical systems of exploitation.
“This is how colonialism worked—exploitation, silence, and abuse of power,” he wrote. “The sad reality is that the PPP government is now practicing the very same thing for years, just under a different flag.”
He further stated that no worker should leave his or her homeland seeking employment only to face degrading treatment.
“No one should leave their country seeking honest work and end up being treated worse than animals,” Narine said.
Expressing concern for the affected workers, he said he hoped they would be able to return safely to their families.
“My sincere hope is that those thirty-eight Indian nationals can return safely to their homes and families,” he wrote.
The controversy has reignited national debate about labour standards, migrant worker protections and workplace safety at a time when Guyana is experiencing unprecedented economic growth driven by oil production, mining and major infrastructure projects. Labour advocates have repeatedly warned that stronger oversight mechanisms are needed to ensure that economic development does not come at the expense of worker welfare, safety and fundamental human rights.
Narine concluded by warning that exploitation and abuse of power would persist unless citizens demand greater accountability from those in authority.
“Until Guyanese people wake up and demand better, the cycle will continue,” he wrote.
