APRIL 30, 2014

NR # 3452B

Committee on labor & employment lowers to 50 the retirement age of surface mine workers
As the nation celebrates Labor Day, the House Committee on Labor and Employment pays tribute to the countrys hardworking and risk-prone mining workers by approving a proposal to lower the retirement age o sur ace mine workers rom !" to #" or their health and sa ety$ %he committee chaired by &ep$ 'arlo Ale(ei )ograles *+ rd District, Davao City, approved House -ill ./01, which aims to reduce the retirement age o sur ace miners by amending Article /20 o 3residential Decree )o$ ../, as amended, otherwise known as the Labor Code o the 3hilippines$ House -ill ./01 substituted House -ill /"#/ authored by &ep$ &onald Cosalan *Lone District, -enguet,$ Cosalan said the retirement age o sur ace mine workers namely, mill plant workers and those who work in support services, such as mechanical, electrical and tailings pond personnel, should likewise be reduced to #" also because these workers are e(posed to the same health and risk ha4ards$ 56ur ace mine workers like underground miners are likewise susceptible and vulnerable to health ha4ards due to e(posure to the same ha4ardous elements$ %heir 7obs include handling and sorting minerals e(tracted rom mining pits and maintaining electrical and mechanical e8uipment and i(tures in mining sites$ Hence, the need to reduce the retirement age or this group o workers as well,9 said Cosalan$ He said &A 2##2, which was approved and passed on :ebruary /!, 1;;2, amended 6ection /20 o 3$D$ ../ otherwise known as the Labor Code o the 3hilippines, in order to reduce the retirement age o underground mine workers or employees rom !" to #"$ 5%he rationale behind is that the continuous e(posure o the underground workers to ha4ardous elements and risks, which are inevitable when working in the mines, make them susceptible and vulnerable to all types o health problems and danger,9 said Cosalan, chairman o the House committee on public works and highways and a <ice Chairman o the Committee on Labor and Employment$ He said conse8uently, in the =mplementing &ules and &egulations 3rescribing the &etirement Age o >nderground ?ine Employees as issued by the Department o Labor and Employment *D@LE, through Department @rder )o$ "; *6eries o 1;;2,, the D@LE reduced the retirement age o underground mine workers to #" years old, in compliance with &A 2##2$

However, he said based on his in8uiry, the 6ocial 6ecurity 6ystem *666, re used to comply with the said law on the ground that it did not speci ically amend &A 11!1 otherwise known as the 6ocial 6ecurity Law$ 3rior to this, the lawmaker said the 666 re8uested or time to ully implement &A 2##2 because an immediate age reduction would be too drastic given the 666 inancial condition, opting to implement instead a partial compliance by revising its =&& allowing retirement o mine workers at age ##$ 5Hence, it become necessary to e(pressly and speci ically amend the 6ocial 6ecurity Law to ensure that retired mine workers are allowed to en7oy all the retirement bene its and privileges o 666 members,9 said Cosalan$ House -ill ./01, authored by Cosalan and )ograles, provides or the amendment o Art$ /20 o 3$D$ ../, as amended, so that 5An underground or sur ace mining employee upon reaching the age o #" years or more, but not beyond !" years which is hereby declared the compulsory retirement age or both underground and sur ace mine workers, who has served at least ive years as underground or sur ace mine worker, may retire and shall be entitled to all the retirement bene its provided or in Art$ /20$9 6ur ace miners shall include mill plant workers, electrical, mechanical and tailings pond personnel, the bill provides$ =t also provides that 6ection 1/-- o &A 11!1, as amended, shall hereby be amended and modi ied accordingly to entitle underground or sur ace mining employees to the bene its provided therein upon reaching the retirement age o #" years old$ *+", rbb