Aluminium extrusion plant closed by government....

 

Government safety agencies are tasked with ensuring safe and healthful working conditions for workers by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance. One of the methods government safety agencies use is to enforce safety standards is by inspecting workplaces. Here is a recent article that shows what can happen when an aluminium company refuses entry to government safety inspectors or do everything in their power to prevent the inspectors from doing their job.

The Ministry of Labor ordered the closure of the company Kington Aluminum after finding violations of the law, including “abusive practices that endanger the lives of the workers.”

Violations were found regarding minimum wages, overtime, lack of an occupational health and safety committee, weekly rest, non-payment of vacation pay, non-enjoyment of vacations, and excessive working hours.

All this is recorded in 56 reports issued in the last four visits to its facilities.

Resisted investigation

A team of health and safety inspectors, analysts, and technicians reported that each time the company was inspected, it resisted and made it impossible to carry out the investigation work, making the workers vulnerable, which is why the support of the security forces was required. 

Upon being notified of the company’s situation, the Minister of Labor, Luis Miguel De Camps García, reiterated that “our commitment is and will always be to ensure compliance with the law and respect for the rights of all workers, without exceptions.”

We normally do not mention a company name. Because it is our mantra not to place blame on the company nor the workers. But as we have learned from the Dominican Republic government the Kington Aluminium company on 4 separate occasions “resisted and made it impossible to carry out the (government’s) investigation work”. Which is extraordinary, because Kington Aluminium did not do it once, or twice, or even three times, but four times. In response the Dominican Republic government had no choice but to lock the facility. We commend the government officials for their actions. We hope that the Kington Aluminium will either meet and satisfy the governments complaints or sell the facility to a company who will.  

The government’s complaints were:

• Violations were found regarding minimum wages, 
• overtime, 
• lack of an occupational health and safety committee, 
• weekly rest, 
• non-payment of vacation pay, 
• non-enjoyment of vacations,  
• excessive working hours.

We can make the assumption that Kington Aluminium workers complained to the government of numerous violations involving both pay and safety. We pray that the workers quickly find other employment in the aluminium extrusion industry. 

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