FIJI’S biggest gold mine is facing a serious shortage of skilled workers that it said is likely to slow down the pace of efforts to rehabilitate the 90-year-old mine.
Vatukoula Gold Mine Ltd (VGML) vice chairman Ian He told this newspaper the skills shortage is not just faced by the mine but the entire mining sector.
“The shortage of skilled workers in mining sector is severe,” Mr He said.
“In addition to loss of skilled miners to overseas, the mining companies are competing for skilled miners.
“The entry level trainees need half a year on-job training to start the mining work.
“It takes several years for workers to learn the skills and work productively.”
He said this week, representatives of Lion One (operator of Tuvatu Gold Mine in Sabeto, Nadi), Amex (iron ore mining company in Ba) and Vatukoula met with the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation in Suva “expressing our grave concerns on labor issues.”
“FCEF will assist us to talk to government agencies,” Mr He said.
FCEF has confirmed the visit and questions have been sent to it on its next course of action.
Early this year, Vatukoula was injected with new capital from its new major shareholder Shandong Zhaojing Group Company Limited, one of China’s leading gold mining companies – around $200million – to rehabilitate and modernise the mine.
But the pace of work is being hampered by the shortage of skilled workers, with the company having to source specialised skills from China, which in itself has become a politically charged issue as they have now been accused of importing Chinese workers.
