Newmont Minahasa starts to reduce manpower

PT Newmont Minahasa Raya (NMR), which will soon close its mining concession area in North Sulawesi, has started to reduce the number of its workers in line with the decline in its mining activities, Manado Post reported on Tuesday.

The company?s public relations officer Pretty Marmoto said in Manado on Monday that the number of personnel would be further reduced from the current 245 workers. She assured that all workers would receive a fair compensation payment.

"Besides compensation, the workers have also received a vocational training so that they take another jobs after leaving the company," she added.

Newmont will end its mining concession in the area by the end of 2003 and will then close the gold mines due to the depletion of the gold reserves.

Pretty said that although the mining activities would be closed next year, the company would continue to operate until 2006 to carry out rehabilitation works in the mining area. (*)