Thai Labour Minister orders relief for gold mine workers

[webfact]

Labour Minister orders relief for gold mine workers

BANGKOK, 24 May 2016 (NNT) – The Minister of Labour has ordered all agencies to monitor the situation of gold mine operations, and brace for the effects if gold mines nationwide were to shut down, according spokesman.

The Ministry of Labour Spokesman Teerapol Khunmuang revealed the Minister of Labour Gen Sirichai Distakul has called a meeting of the Ministry’s executives urging all department to come up with assistance for gold mine workers in wake of an order from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Science and Technology’s conclusion to cease gold mine operations in Thailand.

One of the gold mines which will stop operating is Akra Resources Plc’s mine in Phichit Province which employs 1,057 workers, including 364 permanent employees and 693 contract workers. The mine is scheduled to halt operations by December 2016.

The company is working closely with the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare, with all employees able to work as usual at present time and shall receive their benefits from Social Security, while the company is willing to comply with all regulations.

The Ministry of Labour spokesman further said the Minister of Labour has ordered the establishment of a working committee composing of officials from all department to provide help to all affecting workers on this matter, especially on finding new suitable jobs and skills development.

The Minister of Labour is also closely monitoring the situation and consequences from Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production Ltd’s cost-cutting layoff and organizational restructuring plan.


-- NNT 2016-05-24

[leeneeds]

What a total failure in communication,

100 odd million lost in wages alone for one year,

How it has come to this debacle

failure on the ministers, inspectors to do due diligence,

Failure on the company to remember they are in Thailand,

which comes with so many pitfalls,

[tagalong]

Absolutely, a disgraceful decision to shut down all gold mines on a whim so,so quickly.

Gov to lose heaps over this 5 year old child decision by grown-up people...

Where will the gov find the hundreds of millions coming in from mine and employees...

Yes! It is a 12th century country, trying to live in the 21st century...

Corruption here is equal to Mexico...

[jerojero]

Can this Government make any more knee-jerk reactionary decisions that are far-reaching? Sorry, stupid question... because we all know the answer.

[BSJ]

It's a good decision for the people of the village I live in! Been fighting to stop a gold mine opening.....and for now it won't!

[tuanku]

Correct decision, because safe and environmentally sound gold mining is too difficult in this country at this time. The technology, investment level, environmental protection legislation and regulatory structure are not up to the job of responsible mining. Don't worry about the gold. It will still be there when the country is mature enough to extract it sensibly.

In the meantime, if you want to experience sitting on a gold mine, become a top monk or an army general. It is much the same but without the hard work (on your part anyway)

[wabothai]

When the gold mining boys are making good money there is no way they are going to be closed down.

Question might be, are they making money? Now how nice would it be for the boys to have to close down their operations without major consequence for them.

Would I have liked to be a fly on the wall in the negotiations behind closed doors,

and possibly a few gold bars have changed hands.

[Ulic]

All the gold mines will be closed down, a reasonable period of time will pass and then

connected people will re-open them under far stricter Thai environmental standards.

None of that Australian world standard.

[Batboy]

The Chatree mine in Phitchit has won many awards some from the Thai government for their commitment to the communities surrounding the mine and their environmental practices applied. All tailing's from this mine is detoxed of chemicals and then the tailing's stored in a lined dam to stop any contamination into the ground water. The decision to shut this mine down by the end of this year will have far reaching effects on the good people living around this mine who still today support this mine.

When testing of the people was done (which has not confirm that people are being made sick from the mine still todate) there was buses of people bused to the mine for testing by independent medical authorities from far and wide in the district "who could not possibly have been affected by the mine", but yet no one told this story because they don't want you to know.

Now because it has been ordered to shut everyone will lose. Even the government who were making plenty of royalties per ounce of gold poured.

But there is another joke to this. The opponents who cried that the mine polluted ground water that was affecting their crops and their health has come out after the closing of the was mine was announced, and are now saying they will use the water from the pits to water their crops once the mine is shut. If there really was a problem in the first place "supposedly" how will it change after the mine shuts.