(The Philippine Star) | Updated November 18, 2016 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines -
DMCI Mining Corp. has reduced its workforce by 62 percent in the nine months to
September this year, parent firm DMCI Holdings Inc. said yesterday.
This was due to the
suspension of the company’s mining units in Palawan and Zambales.
From 550 previously,
the number of DMCI Mining’s workers is now down to 207.
This does not include
the thousands of seasonal workers hired during production ramp up, DMCI
Holdings said.
DMCI Mining president
Cesar Simbulan Jr. said the company had no choice but to implement the
retrenchment.
“Our hands are tied. We
have no choice but to let go of most of our workers,” Simbulan said.
He said the company is
trying to retain as many people as possible by assigning them to the company’s
different environmental rehabilitation sites.
“But mine
rehabilitation is not as labor intensive as nickel production so we simply
cannot absorb all of them,” Simbulan said.
DMCI Mining subsidiary
Berong Nickel Corp. had to suspend operations after the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) handed down a suspension order in June
owing to the alleged discoloration of Barangay Berong’s river system and
tributaries.
Similarly, the DENR
also issued a suspension order on unit Zambales Diversified Metals Corp. due to
“social issues.”
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