Mine workers agree to cost-cutting plans

More than half of the workers at Tara Mines today struck agreement with bosses over cost-cutting plans after weeks of crisis talks.

Miners have accepted radical reform of their working hours and pay after the company threatened to pull out over its battle with the economic crisis.

John Regan, trade union Siptu branch organiser, said 59% of workers voted in favour of the new continuous shift patterns, while 55% accepted the new pay terms.

“The tightness of the vote, especially on pay, shows that a lot still needs to be done by the company on how it implements the new terms,” he added.

The company, which employs 670 people, said it wouldn’t officially comment on the outcome of the Siptu ballot until the remaining staff have voted on the proposals.

Front line supervisors have already been balloted, while craftsmen, electricians, mechanics and administrative staff are expected to vote tomorrow.

But it is understood that management are happy that they can keep the mines open with the agreement hammered out with the miners.

The newly-agreed production cycle will mean miners who were working three shifts over a six-and-a-half day week will now work four shifts during that time.

Tara Mines in Navan, Co Meath, is Europe’s largest zinc mine, producing around 200,000 tonnes of zinc and a further 40,000 tonnes of lead every year.

Last month, workers were asked to overhaul employment conditions as bosses struggled with the effect of low zinc prices and a weak dollar.

Siptu had offered an alternative rescue plan, which the Swedish-owned firm rejected as it pushed towards putting workers on protective notice.

Separately, the closure of Galmoy Mines in Co Kilkenny, with the loss of 200 jobs, is being brought forward because of the worsening economic conditions.

The Canadian-based Lundin Mining Corporation-owned company said last September it was to phase in the shutdown of its Irish operation over the next three years.

But redundancies are being brought forward so that operations will now come to a halt by May.

Siptu said the company is honouring the terms of the redundancy agreement it negotiated with the company last year.