Luisa María Alcalde refuses to support the rescue of miners and is silent regarding revisions

jared laurels

Newspaper La Jornada
Thursday, August 11, 2022, p. 4

The Secretary of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS), Luisa María Alcalde, refused to speak about the labor inspections that the unit in her charge is obliged to carry out to certify the safety conditions in the El Pinabete mine, in Sabinas, Coahuila, which collapsed a week ago.

In a brief interview, the official specified that she is not present in the coal mine, where 10 miners are still trapped, since at this time those responsible are the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) and Civil Protection and the priority is the ransom. He commented that the STPS is collaborating, although he did not give details.

It is that those in charge of the rescue are the Sedena and Civil Protection, they are the ones who have experience of the rescue, they were the ones in charge directly by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, because of the experience they have in that senseresponded to an express question as to why he was not personally at the accident site, in the Agujita community.

The federal official pointed out that once the rescue maneuvers are completed, the investigations will be carried out.

“Once the priority (the rescue) is concluded, then the investigations will begin in which we are going to participate… the investigation comes after the absolute priority, which is the rescue, everyone will be known, absolutely everything,” he assured.

silence of authorities

When asked about the labor inspections to verify the conditions in which the workers worked and safety, the person in charge of the application of the country’s labor law did not answer despite the fact that the mining sector is considered high risk.

On August 3, when the event occurred in the coal region of Coahuila, the agency reported that the mine began operations last January and, it assured, It has no history of complaints for any type of anomaly.

A day later, he reiterated on social networks that the priority would be the rescue of the miners and later he would start the investigation. to determine the cause of the accident.