Government addresses Linden truckers’ concerns over unfair practices

The government has taken steps to address concerns amid ongoing protests by truckers over job losses and unfair competition, reassuring the affected operators that a level playing field will govern the trade.

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, met with truckers in Linden, Region Ten, on Tuesday morning and firmly rejected claims that Chinese quarry investors were granted duty-free trucks under investment agreements.

He explained that the only duty-free concessions granted to Chinese investors in the quarry sector were strictly limited to operational equipment used within the quarry sites.

“The Chinese have received no duty-free trucks,” he clarified. “What is happening here now is competition on the market in terms of price.”

Several truckers have voiced concerns that they are being displaced by lower-cost Chinese services, and claim they are being treated unfairly during stone loading at the Arisaru quarry.

In response, Minister Edghill said the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) had intervened and facilitated an agreement with the quarry’s operators.

 Going forward, two separate loading lines will be established, one for Guyanese and one for Chinese operators, to eliminate discrimination and promote fairness.

He encouraged truckers to continue operations at the quarry and assured them that if the agreed-upon changes are not implemented, the government would take decisive action.

“If you go to Arasari and you meet the same conditions and you are not loaded, then there are measures the government can take because that would be a total violation of what is correct,” Minister Edghill emphasised.

Minister Edghill also addressed the issue of unregistered trucks operating with trade plates, a practice he said breaches traffic laws.

He warned that such vehicles would be seized.

 “I would expect that from as early as today, this issue of trucks operating with trade plates will come to an end. Any truck that is operating with a trade plate should be taken off the road. We cannot allow this.”

He explained that while the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) may issue temporary permits for trucks to be moved off the wharf to alleviate congestion, this does not exempt operators from registering their vehicles punctually.

On the issue of declining haulage rates, Minister Edghill acknowledged the truckers’ concerns but remarked that the government cannot directly set prices in a competitive market.

However, he indicated that if there is evidence of deliberate price manipulation, the matter would be referred to the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) for investigation.

“If there is price gouging, we will have to look at that, and we will do that because we can’t have a mafia in the place. A mafia means that they are controlling everything, and nobody else can do anything,” Minister Edghill said.

Minister Edghill expressed empathy with the truckers and committed to ensuring that their concerns are properly addressed.

He said, “These truckers deserve the dignity to go home with money to their wife, children, to maintain their families, and we [government] will ensure that that happens.”

Meanwhile, Minister Edghill also advised to desist from blocking the roadway, with the minister warning that such actions could lead to consequences if they move beyond peaceful protest.