– claims reported complaints “nowhere near” actual occurrencesMining Week will conclude at the end of the monthMining Week has kicked off and as porkknockers across Guyana bask in the recognition of their services, well-known advocate Sherwyn Downer has pointed out shortfalls in the system that still need to be addressed by the administration.One of these shortfalls is labour, which Downer pointed out was the driving force of the industry, but has not received enough attention. According to him, the industry is “drowning itself in labour-related issues.”“Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has to ensure that employers mine within the mining regulations. Employers are a handful. The workers are the masses,” Downer emphasized.He noted instances where workers are sometimes at the receiving end of fraud on the part of their employers. According to him, one practice is for employers to withhold workers’ salaries, after wrongfully accusing them of theft.“In Bartica,China Jerseys, Mahdia or North West, if a worker has a complaint and GGMC refuses to take the complaint, (the worker) will incur expenses to travel to Georgetown’s Labour Ministry. So those reports that are actually made, it doesn’t come near to reflecting the actual occurrences on a daily basis,” Downer said, in explaining why so many labour violation cases go unreported.Downer pointed to the 2014 Ministry of Labour statistics,Cheap Jerseys, dealing with work-related complaints including the ones occurring within the mining industry. He emphasized that this was well under what actually occurred.He also called for an increased presence of labour officers across the mining districts,wholesale nfl jerseys, with the setting up of sub offices.This,Wholesale Jerseys China, he said, would be a good way for the new administration to go.2015 has turned out to be a horrendous year for Guyana’s mining fraternity,NFL Cheap Jerseys China, with statistics showing that accidental deaths of gold miners while in the course of their duties has doubled when compared to corresponding periods for 2014.The mortality rate for gold miners increased drastically when on May 17 last, when a Mowasi, Potaro mining pit collapsed killing 10 miners in what was the worst mining accident in recent memory.Statistics released by the Ministry of Labour early in the year showed that the mining sector recorded 10 deaths for 2014, including two separate incidents of drowning at the same creek, claiming three lives.The GGMC has set out several safety guidelines that mining operators are expected to adhere to. Whether they are enforced by the majority of operators is another matter entirely.But Downer’s calls for the Ministry of Labour to get more actively involved in the mining sector, echoes similarly expressed sentiments. Calls have been made for the Ministry of Labour to ensure underage miners are kept out of the industry and those who can legally mine follow the safety regulations.In addition, several persons from within the industry have expressed the need for increased training and education exercises to be conducted, in order to sensitize and arm miners with the knowledge to survive in what is arguably the most hazardous sector in Guyana.A Commission of Inquiry into mining pit collapses was launched last Month, with member representatives from the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) and the Ministry of Labour present on the Commission. (Jarryl Bryan)