Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton recently met with officials of Troy Resources Limited amid the downsizing of its operations, in order to ensure that laid off workers are paid in accordance with the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act.
The Minister was accompanied by Chief Labour Officer Michelle Baburam while the company was represented by General Manager Colin Connors, Human Resources Manager Samantha Latchman, Manager Michael Rodrigues and Company Consultant Mohamed Akeel.
Among the areas discussed was systems that will be implemented to recall some, if not most of the workers when normal operations resume.
It was outlined that 80 to 85 per cent of the company’s workers will be terminated, a process which will be concluded in two to three weeks.
The representatives were asked to provide the Labour Ministry with records indicating how many workers will be affected and other related details.
As Troy Resources heads into underground mining and will be seeking workers with adequate skills, Hamilton reiterated to the company’s management the importance of providing a safe work environment for its employees and prospective employees who will be engaged in underground mining.
They were asked to liaison with the Ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department, which will properly advise them on how to head into underground mining. Furthermore, Minister Hamilton stated that when the company is ready to commence underground mining, its representatives should meet with the OSH department.
Two months ago, the Australian mining company had reportedly hit a snag in its preparations for what was supposed to be its first underground mine in Guyana, the Smarts Underground Prospect in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).
Troy Resources announced in its market update that previous timelines for starting production at the underground site would be delayed, listing a number of underlying factors. These factors include additional drilling being requested by the geotechnical consultants and the resource calculation, as well as lack of contractors and service providers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
