Unions seek talks aimed at avoiding Tara closure

Tara Mines workers have urged the company to engage with then in a bid to find away to avoid the mine going into care and maintenance mode.

Unions at the mine, SIPTU, UNITE and CONNECT, met with management this morning and urged the company to reconsider the decision which will see more than 600 workers laid off.

"We asked them to engage with us in a meaningful way to find some way of avoiding the closure," said John Regan of SIPTU.

"We want alternatives - it is in everyone's interest that we do not go into care and maintenance, and keep everyone in employment. This will impact 650 jobs," he said.

Mr Regan said management told them they would consider this and come back to the union within days on they would engage in such discussions.

"Our concern is that this decision seems to have been made by the Board and management don't seem to be in control of the situation," he said.

"We are concerned that there doesn't seem to be a plan , it seems to be a reactive measure."

He recalled the company going into care and maintenance in November 2001, and remained in that mode until the following April.

"The workers then returned on a phased basis and from our recollections, the price of zinc was lower when the mine returned to production, then when it went into care and maintainence."

“As well as engaging with the company and our members, we are seeking an urgent meeting with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney and Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan. We believe that both these Ministers could have a key role in creating a situation which protects the long-term future of this strategically important asset, which plays a vital role not only in the economy of the North East region but the island as a whole.

“Today was a difficult day for our members at Tara Mines, their families and the wider community in this region. All can be assured that we are committed to doing everything in our power to protect their interests. We will fight for the long term future of Tara Mines in all forums and with all stakeholders.”

SIPTU Division Organiser, Adrian Kane, said: “Despite some indications that wider economic and market factors were being considered by the company in relation to the operation of the facility, the announcement last night that it would be temporarily closed was still a major shock to all involved at Tara Mines. We would have hoped that the company would have engaged to a greater degree with unions prior to any such decision and we are now calling on it to embark on such an engagement with the aim of maintaining the mine in operation.

“Management has said it will reflect on the position of the unions and revert to us as soon as possible. Once we have received this reply, whether it is positive or not, union representatives will begin a wider engagement with our membership on what should be done next.”

Meanwhile, General Manager Gunnar Nyström told RTÉ's Morning Ireland he cannot say for certain how long the loss of work will last, blaming the decision on the business facing “unsustainable losses”.

These were due to changes in the price of zinc and electricity coupled with inflation and operational issues.

He explained a small number of employees will continue to work at the mine during this period in order to care for and maintain it.

“The zinc market seems to be very volatile at the moment. We’re seeing price dropping. I can’t really say why that is and I can’t really foresee what’s going to be in in the future,” he said.

"The decision that was made last night is purely Tara Mines alone.

“That’s where we’re facing tremendous, unsustainable losses. To safeguard the future of Tara Mines, this is a necessity to stem the cash going out.”

“It is a temporary measure, but the timeline on how temporary it is, I can’t say at the moment”.

“We’re going to keep monitoring the situation and continue to engage with everyone, the stakeholders, employees, suppliers, and keep everyone informed on what’s going on here on site going forward.”

Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney described the situation as a “short-term crisis”.

“The company is adamant that the board of directors are 100per cent convinced that this is a forced temporary closure and won’t be a permanent closure, but of course, we have to work to make sure that that’s the case,” Coveney said on Morning Ireland,

“This is very, very unwelcome news, and it really came unexpectedly. I think it was very unexpected, even within the company for many people working in Tara Mines and so many others who are reliant on Tara Mines for their income and their employment,” he said.

“It’s not just the 650 people, there’s about 2,000 people in and around the Navan area that are linked to Tara Mines in one way or another. This is a big deal and I’m doing everything I can to make sure we’re as supportive as we can be.”

The minister said that he has sought more details from the company about how long the lay-offs may last.

“To be honest, I think the company simply doesn’t know for now. What they do know is that it’s going to take about a month or so to go through all of the procedures to shut down operations in the mine and to put it under care and maintenance.”