With Minister of Social Protection Amna Ally rescinding a cease work order issued to Australian gold mining company Troy Resources, the way has been paved for the company to restart operations at Karouni, Region Seven, which will likely be by early November.
Ally on Tuesday rescinded a cease work order issued on October 10 by Junior Social Protection Minister Keith Scott, who has responsibility for labour, which triggered a shutdown of the company’s operations and the laying off of hundreds.
While the order came in the wake of a death at the site, the company was critical of Scott’s action, claiming that the stop order was inconsistent with normal protocol in such situations. Normal protocol, it argued, is to cordon off the area of the incident, being the Hicks 1 Extension Trench, a process the company had already undertaken immediately after the death. Having taken this action, Troy expressed surprise at the cease order, which covered all mining areas including the Smarts 3 and Larkin Pits, which are not where the fatal accident occurred.