Society

Substitute 'mine bosses' who go underground sacked

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-09-28 06:50

NANNING - Seven staff in a coal mine newly promoted as "management assistants" to share their bosses' job to descend to the shaft have been sacked in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, said local authorities.

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The seven assistants with the Chaoyang Coal Mining Company in Maonan Autonomous County of Huanjiang in Guangxi have been removed from their posts by an inspection team dispatched by the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety, the regional work safety watchdog told Xinhua.

They were promoted some 20 days ago, required to go underground and ascend to the surface along with miners, which was originally the obligation of coal mine leaders.

In July, to improve the work safety of the country's mines, the State Council, or China's Cabinet, stipulated that mine leaders should descend into pits to work with miners and solve potential problems.

An official, surnamed Li, with the regional work safety inspection bureau, said some companies felt reluctant to send mine leaders down shafts, where miners worked around the clock.

So, some mine managers authorized others, possibly unqualified and incapable, to perform their own duties to circumvent the policy, while some would simply ignore the policy, Li said.

Li said the regional work safety authorities had planned to offer training courses to newly promoted mine leaders to equip them with expertise to solve safety problems down in the pits.