Alcoa is yet to respond to the invitation from the bauxite negotiating team for preliminary talks beginning this weekend.
The Bermine Employees Group has informally indicated its availability to meet the team on Sunday, Stabroek News has learnt. Formal notification is to be forwarded shortly to the Joint Bauxite Committee.
Last week, Alcoa notified the committee that it required a "direct response" from the Guyana government to its concept paper, warning that if it did not receive a positive response at least in principle to the major elements of that paper, it would no longer support the proposal. It gave June 30 as the deadline for such a response.
A major element of the proposal is the conversion of the US$57 million debt owed by the Aroaima Bauxite Company, managed by Alcoa but jointly owned by Alcoa and the Guyana government. Another is for the restructured company to be continued to be managed by Alcoa and for its sale at an appropriate time to a company which it has identified.
Other aspects of the Alcoa proposal provide for the immediate closure of the Bermine operations at Everton, resulting in the loss of 270 jobs and the merger of the Bermine operations at Kwakwani with the Alcoa/Government of Guyana venture at Aroaima with assurances of a sufficient reserve to guarantee a project life of 15 years. It also requires the downsizing of the workforce over a three year period from 940 to 400.
Alcoa's demand was a response to the letter from the Joint Bauxite Committee informing the company that a negotiating team had been set up and that it would soon be notified of a proposed timetable for discussions, additional submissions and other related matters. The members of the negotiating team are Professor Clive Thomas and Robeson Benn as co chairs and Lance Carberry and Odinga Lumumba as its other members. They were mandated to initiate discussions with despatch with Alcoa and the Bermine Group of Employees/Centrotrade Minerals and Metals (CTMM) on their proposals for the continued operation of the Berbice Mining Company (Bermine) operations at Everton and Kwakwani.
The proposal by the employees' group would see CTMM providing working capital to rehabilitate the kiln at Everton to allow for the production of abrasive grade bauxite up to 70,000 tonnes a year and give it the right to market and sell all of the company's products. It would also provide the technical/managerial skills required to beef up the operations at Everton.
The proposal requires the government to turn over its shares to the employees and for the new company to raise its own capital. It will pay royalty, harbour dues and the relevant taxes on its operations.
Meanwhile, the Joint Committee spent Tuesday and Wednesday meeting the management, the unions and the workers at the Linden Mining Enterprise (Linmine). They are to return at a later date to meet residents and other interests groups in the area.