The workforce in the bauxite industry had been reduced by almost 50 percent under the David Granger-led APNU/AFC Administration between 2015-2020.
This is according to President Dr Irfaan Ali; who, on Monday evening, during a live broadcast, said that in 2014 — the last full year of PPP/C Government, before the APNU/AFC administration had taken over — there were over 1,200 persons employed in the sector; but in 2020, after five years of APNU/AFC Government, that number had declined to just over 600, due to mismanagement of the sector and the closure of RUSAL operations.
President Ali, who was joined on the live broadcast by Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, said additionally that, during the period 2015-2019, the sector had grown by an average of only 1.8 per cent.
“…this was as a result of bad policies, mismanagement, highhanded approach, the iron fist approach that is associated with the APNU/AFC Government,” the Head of State said.
Under the PPP/C Government, the sector is projected to grow in 2024 by nearly 60 per cent, as investment in the sector expands under this Government, the President said.
“This year, this very sector: that we left functioning; that we came back into office and met on its knees, on decline, collapsing, about to close…we don’t look at political opportunity, we look at opportunity to serve the people and build our country; so, what did we do? We encouraged investment, we laid out a policy framework that sought to reignite confidence in the sector despite COVID, despite increase in shipping cost, despite sanctions on the main operator. We didn’t abandon; instead, we are projecting the sector to grow by 60 percent, because investment in the sector is now expanding,” Ali said.
Meanwhile, Dr Singh said the claim that APNU/AFC has often made: that they have a special relationship with the people of Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), is simply not supported by their actions, if one were to look at the entire economy history of Guyana.
In February 2020, following much controversy surrounding the Russian-owned Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated, the firm was force to suspend its entire operations in Guyana, and dismissed over 300 workers.
The company had initially announced its decision to terminate 142 workers as a result of difficulties, after Government ended its duty-free arrangement for its fuel. In March 2019, after a series of protests by various stakeholders against the bauxite company following an industrial dispute, the then Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman had said the APNU/AFC Government was geared to take action against the company, even if it means having the company shut down its operations in Guyana.
“What I can say is that I have ordered the GGMC (Guyana Geology and Mines Commission) to conduct a technical and legal assessment of all of RUSAL’s operations. I am hoping that I can get that report for presentation to His Excellency (President David Granger) and other Ministers on Tuesday. And we are looking at all of the legal and other consequences; either them closing or we closing them. We just can’t have the status quo continue as is,” Troman had said, as was reported in the local media on March 2, 2019.
He was at the time on a tour of the bauxite operations in Linden, Region 10.
