De oostelijke mijnstreek als sluitpost van de herstructurering

Abstract

The chief executive of one of the largest mining communities, Kerkrade, who also is Chairman of the industrial board of the Eastern mining area, poses some critical comments on the social measures taken in connection with the mine closures and some of the favourable opinions expressed by other authors. By the 1st of January, 1970, a total of 8,000 new employment opportunities had been provided for by industry in Southern Limburg. With governmental support only 3,300 of these jobs were filled by ex-miners, although at that time 32,000 mining jobs had already disappeared. The guiding policy that no mine closures would occur without having provided for alternative employment opportunities, proved to have a theoretical value only. As a result one is at the present time feeling much less confident about coming developments in the labour market of the Eastern mining region that one felt a year ago. In reality, the situation is even worse that the figures indicate and according to the author "the real problem has been circumvented". Re-industrialisation is practically stagnant, mainly because of the competitive forces in the labour market which are aggrevated by the large scale of commuting of labour to Germany. According to the author, the statistics at the moment give a confused picture and fail to show an improved employment climate. Commuting across the border gives the impression of full employment in the area, but it would only take a small fluctuation in the economic climate across the border to create a serious problem in Limburg, for which no employment vacancies are being reserved. The consequences of the re-structuring process are most severely noticed in the Eastern mining region. It is therefore necessary that strong concerns are being created which most likely requires additional government support. The possibility of re-locating government offices over the country should also be kept in mind, and in this respect the Eastern mining region would like to have the same system of transfer allowances as has been authorized for Eastern Groningen. Mr. Smeets points out that there has been no compensation for the little understood departure to another are with employment problems of the "Industrialisation Group Dutch State Mines". In his opinion it is the duty of the government to create and maintain another such employment group in the mining region.