We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Member of Parliament Nandranie Singh has called for the immediate payment and repatriation of 37 Indian nationals at the centre of a labour exploitation scandal, warning that every additional day of delay compounds the suffering of men who have already endured years of alleged abuse.
In a strongly worded statement issued Friday, Singh, the Shadow Minister of Labour and Manpower Planning, urged Labour Minister Keoma Griffith, Indian High Commissioner to Guyana H.E. Manoj Kumar, Human Services Minister Vindhya Persaud, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha and President Irfaan Ali to intervene without delay to ensure the workers are paid in full and allowed to return home.
WIN holds 16 of the 29 opposition seats in Guyana’s 65-member National Assembly.
The workers were employed by EKAA HRIM Earth Resources Management Inc.’s Batavia quarry operation and have alleged a pattern of abuse that included withheld wages, passport confiscation, unsafe working conditions, intimidation and severe psychological distress.
The controversy deepened after reports emerged that one worker lost four fingers in a workplace accident while another reportedly died after allegedly being overworked. Although the workers’ passports were subsequently returned, concerns persist over the conditions under which they lived and worked and the delays in securing their departure from Guyana.
According to Singh, the workers are now seeking only two things: payment of all outstanding wages and the opportunity to return to their families in India.
“After prolonged, severe, and inhumane exploitation, including withheld wages, passport confiscation, threats at gun point, unsafe working conditions, and intense psychological distress, these workers have made one simple request: to be paid what they are owed and to return home to India. Their wishes must be honoured without any further delay,” she stated.
Singh said the Ministry of Labour has yet to ensure that the company settles outstanding wages and provides airfare for the workers’ return.
“Despite the gravity of the circumstances, the Ministry has not yet instructed EKAA HRIM Batavia Quarry to pay these workers adequately and in full, nor to provide their airline tickets,” she said.
The parliamentarian argued that the delay is particularly troubling given that some of the workers reportedly endured the conditions for as long as three years.
“It is unconscionable that after enduring horrendous treatment for periods as long as three years, the PPP administration cannot find the basic humanity to ensure that these workers’ most fundamental wishes are respected, the right to receive their wages and the right to return to their families,” Singh declared.
The Ministry of Labour has maintained that an investigation into the allegations is ongoing. However, the process is being viewed with skepticism by observers and labour advocates, who question why workers alleging years of exploitation, unpaid wages and unsafe conditions remain stranded while awaiting both the outcome of the probe and arrangements for their return home.
The case has become one of the most closely watched labour disputes in recent years, raising broader concerns about the treatment of migrant workers in Guyana amid rapid economic expansion fuelled by the oil and gas sector. Labour rights advocates have long argued that stronger oversight is needed to ensure that foreign workers enjoy the protections guaranteed under Guyanese labour laws.
Singh contended that the government’s handling of the matter has implications beyond the immediate dispute.
“Guyana’s credibility in the protection of migrant workers is on the line. The world is watching how this country responds to one of the most serious labour exploitation cases in recent years,” she said.
Calling for urgent intervention, Singh urged authorities to ensure full payment of all outstanding wages “without deductions, delays, or excuses,” secure confirmed airline tickets and complete all remaining administrative procedures necessary for the workers’ departure.
“The only just and humane outcome is immediate payment, immediate processing, and immediate repatriation,” she said.
Appealing to government officials, agencies and religious organisations to act decisively, Singh said the workers had already endured more than enough hardship.
“We call on every authority, every agency, and every religious organization to show that humanity still exists, that our collective conscience still knows right from wrong, that we are capable of standing up for the vulnerable, and that we are willing to act with the compassion and courage this moment demands,” she said.
“These men have suffered enough. It is time for us, as a nation, to prove that we still recognize the value of a human life. This must end today. Send these men home to their families.”
