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The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Office IX on Thursday assured the workers of the Taiwan Overseas Mining Corporation (TOMC) in Diplahan, Zamboanga Sibugay, who are on strike due to alleged non-payment of wages, that they will be given three months' worth of wages.

 

The salaries that would be paid to over 600 employees of the mining company, DOLE-IX said, would be equivalent to around P15 million.

 

DOLE Region IX Director Ponciano Liguton said an initial agreement was reached between the TOMC management and the workers for the mining firm to give the workers their unpaid salaries, but the company did not honor the agreement.

 

Liguton said the firm is still waiting for the payment from a coal shipment purchased by a buyer, but Diplahan Mayor Wilter Palma said TOMC is going bankrupt and would not be able to pay the back wages.

 

Palma said there could be a possible diversion of funds within the mining firm as investors reportedly have backed out.

 

Palma said he fears that if the mining firm closes down, the canning industry and the transmission of electricity in the area would be affected, since these are dependent on the coal being mined by TOMC.

 

Palma's office is currently coordinating with the Department of Energy in Manila to study the implications of the possible end of TOMC's operations.

 

The employees of the TOMC staged a strike over the non-payment of their salaries since August.

 

The employees,  through Palma, said they do not understand why the mining firm has to delay the payment of their salaries. They said the coal production operation in the area has been doing well.

 

Palma said the average monthly coal production that the mining firm has been producing reaches up to 9,000 tons.

 

The employees’ strike totally paralyzed the operation of the mining firm in the area since Monday.

 

He also said Wednesday the DOE promised to send a team to Diplahan to look into the issue and possibly discuss with company's officials on how to resolve the wage issue.

 

Palma said he is also worried on the possible danger that his constituents might be facing after the workers reportedly abandoned maintenance work particularly in some of the tunnels used in the mining operation.

 

The town executive also said he is anticipating floods in the mining area since the workers have also stopped pumping water from the tunnels.

 

Taiwan Overseas Mining Corporation has been operating in Diplahan town since 2000.  With reports from RJ Rosalado, ABS-CBN Zamboanga 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

as of 10/31/2008 1:45 AM

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