On May 23, 2026, new developments emerged in a high-profile labour dispute involving 37 Indian migrant workers at a Batavia quarry in Guyana’s Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), after the workers came forward with serious allegations of abusive working and living conditions. Officials from Guyana’s Ministry of Labour, senior government representatives from multiple domestic agencies, and India’s acting Deputy High Commissioner held multi-stakeholder consultations at Guyana’s Labour Ministry to address the workers’ grievances.
Following the closed-door talks, the Labour Ministry announced in an official statement that EKAA HRIM Earth Resources, the India-headquartered firm that operates the quarry, has formally committed to disbursing all unpaid salaries and wages owed to the 37 workers no later than May 27, 2026. During the negotiations, both the workers and company representatives raised additional unresolved issues, and both sides have agreed to submit supporting documentation for these outstanding matters when talks resume next week. No further details on these additional claims have been released to the public.
The agreement on back pay does not extend to return airfares for most workers, however, according to Guyana’s Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, whose opposition WIN party first brought the workers’ plight to public attention. Mohamed told local outlet Demerara Waves Online News that the company has refused to cover the cost of return flights for the majority of the aggrieved workers, arguing that most breached the terms of their employment contracts. EKAA HRIM has only offered to pay for tickets for five to eight workers who have completed three-year tenures at the quarry, Mohamed said. To date, the Labour Ministry has not issued a formal decision on the airfare dispute.
Talks are set to resume next Monday morning, when workers will submit pay slips to corroborate additional claims beyond unpaid April salaries. The workers allege the company made unauthorized deductions from their wages that were held as unreturned security deposits, and have stated they never received formal pay slips for their work at the quarry. In a sharp rebuke of Labour Minister Keoma Griffith’s handling of the case, Mohamed criticized the minister for failing to uphold his mandate to protect worker rights, pointing to multiple documented labour violations at the EKAA quarry.
The situation took an unusual turn when police officers called to the Labour Ministry blocked Mohamed from attending the stakeholder negotiations, barring him from the meeting boardroom. After the workers left the quarry, Mohamed has housed and fed the group at one of his personal properties.
The case also includes serious allegations of human trafficking tied to the company’s retention of the workers’ passports. Mohamed confirmed that legal counsel has been engaged to pursue these claims. Earlier this week, EKAA HRIM consultant Yoganand Persaud defended the company’s actions, claiming the workers voluntarily surrendered their passports to the company for safekeeping. After intervention from Labour Minister Griffith and India’s acting High Commissioner, all passports were returned to the workers.
Guyana’s Labour Ministry has confirmed it is continuing to investigate allegations of labour law breaches and occupational safety and health violations at the quarry, stating that all proceedings will follow due process and adhere strictly to Guyana’s national labour regulations.