MAY PEN, Clarendon:
BAUXITE MINERS, Jamalco, has restarted a land reclamation project at the Mocho Primary School in Clarendon following a one-month suspension. The project was halted after several men made repeated demands for money and threats against the company's management.
The work involves the restoration of an area of the school land adjoining an old mined-out pit on the neighbouring property, which caved in during heavy rainfall in 1986.
The April 16 start of the project was suspended following repeated demands by a group of men from the area for employment on the project and compensation for "dust nuisance".
Following the suspension of work on the project, a series of meetings were held between representatives of the "job seekers", the school, householders in close proximity to the area of operation and Jamalco.
Mines Manager for Jamalco, Richard Hector, outlined the operations to be carried out, the qualifications of householders to be paid dust nuisance allowance and the limited number of unskilled labourers whose services will be needed on the project.
Concessions were made to include householders outside the 300-foot radius of the mining and reclamation area to also receive a dust nuisance allowance and to be given plastic water tanks.
Last Wednesday's restart of the project was incident free and according to Mr. Hector the reclamation project should be completed within a month.
