Agreement reached on Tara Mines reopening

A deal has been reached overnight on the reopening Tara Mines which has been 'in care and maintenance' since last July.

A set of proposals which will see a phased reopening of the mines was agreed following talks between unions and management at the Workplace Relations Commission on Monday and yesterday.

The deal will be put to workers at a general meeting next week and a ballot will follow.

SIPTU's John Regan said; " The deal protects core terms and conditions and there will be no compulsory redundancies and staff could return to work expediously."

Tara Mines closed temporarily last July with the laying off of 650 workers.

The owners, Boliden, said it took the decision due to unsustainable losses and cited factors including a decline in the price of zinc, inflation and energy costs.