‘Assistance for mine workers readied’

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is mapping out action plans and preparing assistance packages for thousands of mine workers to be displaced by the mine closure and suspension orders of the Department of Environ- ment and Natural Resources (DENR).

DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III said over the weekend he had met with DOLE regional officials to get their inputs for the measures.

“These mining firms employ hundreds and thousands of workers,” Bello noted. “DOLE will provide assistance to those who will be displaced.”

The labor department has deployed technical staff to the Caraga region in Mindanao to assess the situation, while the affected mining firms are expected to submit transition/ action plans and proposals to DOLE provincial offices.

Caraga region is host to more than half of about 25 mining operations recently ordered closed by the DENR due to breach of environmental standards.

Caraga regional director Evelyn Ramos said much preparation is needed to allay the impact of the mining closure and suspension orders, as other businesses would also be affected.

Ramos said the Caraga DOLE office is now checking the status of the mining operations and determining the exact number of workers to be affected and their profiles for appropriate DOLE intervention. “The transition plan and other data would still be useful, if and when the closure or suspension order does not take effect, since the mining sector is faced with the off-season dilemma, where workers are forced to go on leave and look for alternative sources of income.”