Approval given for restart of Berbice bauxite operations
Delivering the 2026 budget today, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh announced that approval has been granted for the restart of bauxite operations on the Berbice River.
He did not name the operator. He blamed the APNU+AFC government for the closure of the Berbice bauxite operations in 2020 and the loss of jobs for workers.
Subsequent to a breakdown in labour negotiations in 2019 between Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GBGWU) and RUSAL, the company decided to halt operations, terminating the contracts of 300 workers. Workers and the company had been in a decade-long dispute over wages and working conditions.
About three months after RUSAL announced that it was suspending its operations, Oldendorff Carriers Guyana Inc, announced that it was forced to shutter operations here. As a result of the closure, 132 employees were laid off.
