25 January 2016

ROA Mine to close

About 20 jobs are to go as the last underground coal mine on the West Coast closes.

Workers at ROA Mine, near Blackball, were told today that the company will suspend their underground operations as falling coal prices mean the mine is no longer economically viable.

E tū Organiser Garth Elliot said that the workers were devastated.

“The boys are shocked,” Garth said. “These jobs are important to the West Coast community, and this closure is another blow for the workers and their families in the region.

“Hundreds of coal jobs have been lost in the last couple of years, and there just aren’t enough jobs in the area for these workers, especially in the other extractive industries.”

Garth said that the company had their hands tied coal and energy markets globally continued to be affected by falling commodity prices. The company would be negotiating redundancy arrangements this week.

“The company can’t keep the mine open, that’s not their fault. The important thing now is to make sure the boys get a fair redundancy deal that values the hard work they’ve put in over the years.

“Hopefully the mine will reopen when coal prices make it more viable, but we’re looking at at least a year before that happens.”

ENDS

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