Guyana Quarry Scandal: 38 Indian workers allege forced labour, passport seizure

Guyana: Thirty-eight Indian nationals who were employed at a quarry operation in Guyana have alleged that they were subjected to forced labour, exploitation, starvation and financial coercion. Officials are alleging that this scandal is becoming one of the most serious labour and human rights controversies of the country in recent years.

According to the information, the workers were recruited from India to work at the Ekaa HRIM Quarry in Batavia, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni). They allegedly described their conditions as ‘modern slavery’ and accused the company of confiscating their passports upon arrival in Guyana and trapping them under harsh contractual penalties.

Workers reported that the management seized all their travel documents shortly after they entered the country which effectively restricted their freedom of movement. They further alleged that the employment agreements imposed severe financial punishments on workers who would attempt to leave before the completion of their 24-month contracts.

Under the terms which have been reportedly outlined by the company, workers who chose to resign early would be required to pay a US$5,000 penalty while employees terminated for what was deemed “unsatisfactory performance” would allegedly have to pay US$3,000 and cover the cost of their own return airfare to India.

The labourers also accused the company of withholding salaries and they were also denied access to clean drinking water and they were being forced to work in degraded and substandard living conditions. Several workers claimed they struggled to obtain adequate food supplies while isolated at the mining site in Region Seven.

The controversy intensified after reports came that one worker died at the quarry under suspicious circumstances. This has raised serious concerns among both local officials and international observers. Calls are now mounting for a full industrial investigation as well as a possible criminal probe into the circumstances surrounding the death.

The issue gained national attention after Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and members of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) parliamentary opposition visited the quarry site and publicly documented the workers’ allegations. Mohamed accused authorities of failing to adequately monitor labour conditions within Guyana’s expanding extractive sector and called for urgent state intervention.

Following widespread public outrage and diplomatic engagement, Guyana’s Ministry of Labour which is being headed by Keoma Griffith  alongside the Indian High Commission in Georgetown, intervened directly on Monday, May 18.

As a result of mounting pressure from both the government and Indian diplomatic officials, management at the quarry reportedly surrendered and returned all 38 passports to the workers.

Authorities also confirmed that a specialised team from the Ministry of Labour’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department and labour officials has since been deployed to Region Seven to conduct a full investigation into the allegations.

The workers are now demanding immediate payment of withheld wages and repatriation flights back to India and they are insisting that they no longer feel safe living at the facility. EKAA Hrim Earth Resources Management Inc., which is headquartered in India and maintains offices in Georgetown’s Alberttown district, has yet to publicly respond in detail to the allegations.

The scandal has also generated wider political fallout in Georgetown, especially because the US$10 million quarry project reportedly received significant backing from the administration of President Irfaan Ali when it was commissioned in late 2023.

Opposition parties are now using the controversy to question the government’s oversight of foreign investment projects, labour enforcement mechanisms and protections for migrant workers operating within Guyana’s rapidly expanding industrial and mining sectors.

Human rights advocates and labour activists are now calling for an independent inquiry into the treatment of the workers and warned that the allegations could severely damage Guyana’s international reputation if the claims are substantiated.

The investigation by labour authorities is still ongoing as they claim that they will provide full justice to the Indian nationals.