Employers must allow staff to vote on September 1 – GECOM reminds

With thousands of Guyanese employed offshore, in the mining and bauxite sectors, and other operations that often require extended stays away from home, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is reminding employers that they are legally bound to give workers reasonable time off to vote in the upcoming General and Regional Elections, set for Monday, 1st September, 2025.

In an advisory issued on Thursday, GECOM highlighted that many citizens may be stationed or required to work away from their polling districts on election day — a reality for many in the country’s critical oil and gas, mining, logging, and construction sectors.

Quoting the Representation of the People Act (ROPA), Cap 1:03, GECOM stressed that Section 81 (1) makes it mandatory for employers to grant paid time off for employees to cast their ballots.

“Every employer shall permit every elector in his employ, other than any elector on whose behalf another elector has been appointed to vote as a proxy, to be absent from his work on election day for a reasonable time, in addition to the normal midday meal hour, for the purpose of voting at the election,” the Act states.

It further warns that no deductions from wages or other penalties should be imposed for taking this time off.

The Commission is encouraging employees to be proactive and engage with their employers ahead of time to arrange the necessary time away from duty.

Failure by employers to comply is not only illegal but constitutes an election offence. According to Section 82 of ROPA, any employer who refuses or attempts to block an employee from voting — whether directly or through intimidation or undue influence — faces a fine of $65,000 and could be imprisoned for up to six months if convicted.

“Employees must remember that voting is a constitutional right, and employers are duty-bound to respect that,” GECOM said.

In the lead-up to the polls, GECOM is urging employers and workers alike — especially those whose jobs take them offshore or into Guyana’s interior for weeks or months at a time — to put systems in place now to ensure they are able to vote on election day.

This election is expected to see a record number of voters registered across Guyana’s ten regions, with many observers already pointing to the crucial role that thousands of workers in the oil and gas sector, mining camps, and bauxite operations could play in deciding the outcome.