October 25, 2012

Solid Energy and the Government have failed Greymouth

Solid Energy and the Government have failed the workers at Spring Creek mine and dealt a devastating blow to their community, says the miners’ union, the EPMU.

The call follows Solid Energy’s confirmation of around 220 redundancies at a staff meeting in Dunollie this afternoon.

The EPMU’s West Coast organiser, Garth Elliott, says the miners and their community feel they have been let down by the company and the Government.

“Each of these redundancies represents a family losing its livelihood and in many cases being forced to leave the West Coast in search of work. For many families their only choice will be to join the exodus of skilled workers heading overseas.

“Our members have a right to feel angry about how they’ve been treated. From very early on it was clear to us that management had made up its mind and none of our proposals changed that.

“When we went to the Government to present an alternative plan they refused to even look at it. Instead of stepping up to help the people of Greymouth, we saw the same hands-off approach from this Government that’s killing jobs and devastating communities all over New Zealand.

“This is a very sad day for mining families and for a community that’s having the economic life sucked out of it. If there’s any consolation, it’s that union members and the whole Greymouth community put up a fight they can be proud of.”

All union members at Spring Creek are covered by a redundancy package as part of their collective employment agreement.

ENDS

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