Arcon miners must wait on zinc price for pay rise

THE 200 people employed at the Sir Tony O’Reilly owned Arcon zinc/lead mine in Killkenny will have to wait until zinc prices rise before they can get a pay rise it emerged yesterday.

In a judgement the Labour Court conceded it is “unsatisfactory” that workers at Arcon Mines have received no pay increases since December 2001, but said it could not ignore the fact that financial losses rule out any pay rises “at this time”.

Arcon Mines is the only Irish owned and operated base metal mine in the country. It commenced full production in March 1997 at Galmoy in Co Kilkenny, employing 199 people.