Appeal to find solution to mine standoff

Appeals have been made to management and staff at Tara Mines to reach a compromise as 670 workers were put on protective notice by the company on Monday in a dispute over cost-cutting and efficiency measures at the Navan mine. The spectre of massive job losses in the town has prompted calls for both sides to try and reach a concensus, as SIPTU members were due to attend a meeting to discuss the crisis last night (Tuesday) in the local Ardboyne Hotel. The company issued protective notice on Monday following the failure of management and the union, which represents 370 miners, to reach agreement on a budget for next year. SIPTU branch secretary, John Regan, said Tuesday night"s meeting was to brief members on the recent negotiations with the company. He said that, in the current climate, he believed workers will want to further engage with the company in a bid to reach a settlement. A Tara Mines spokesman also said management hoped they could reach an agreement on the 2009 budget. 'We hope to keep Tara open. That is our main goal and everything we can do, we will be doing,' he said. The Mayor of Navan, Cllr Padraig Fitzsimons, appealed to both sides to reach a solution, which would save the 670 jobs at the mine. He warned that the closure of the mine would be a major disaster for the Navan area as it would mean further job losses in the retail sector in the town. He also said that the mine was a major contributor to public funds in Meath through rates. 'It is important for the entire county that this is resolved and that jobs are saved,' he said. Both sides in the dispute were urged to go all-out to reach a compromise to safeguard the 670 jobs by Meath West TD Damien English. 'These jobs are crucial to the economy of Meath and further afield, and their loss would be a massive blow to the area. It is estimated that every job in Tara Mines supports another two-and-a-half jobs,' he added. 'There are now two plans on the table, one from management and one from the union. I believe that compromise is possible and I am urging both sides to go all-out to reach an agreement when they meet.' Deputy English recalled that Tara Mines previously closed for a period in order to ensure its lon- term survival. 'It would be very regrettable if that were to happen again in the midst of this terrible recession,' he said. 'The fact remains that Tara Mines will eventually exhaust all the available resources in the area and has a limited lifespan. So it is vital that we maximise the number of jobs currently available at the mine. The worst case scenario would be for the mine to close when the zinc and lead on which it depends is still available,' he said. Cllr Joe Reilly said he hoped a solution could be found, because a failure to do so would have a distrous effect on Navan, Meath and the surrounding counties. He said there was still a fortnight for the issues to be worked out and he also urged all involved to come to a satisfactory solution. The Swedish owner of Tara Mines, Boliden, introduced a cost-cutting proposal late last year which included a change in shift patterns and cuts in overtime payments. Management have given the workers until 19th January to accept the proposals or face the prospect of redundancy. The company says the proposals are as a result of a dramatic drop in the price of zinc, along with the weakening of the US dollar, the currency in which metals are traded. The workers rejected the plans and put forward their own proposals which were, in turn, rejected by Boliden. The workers at Tara Mines were last laid off and the mine placed on 'care and maintenance" in 2002 when zinc prices had slumped to what the company regarded as an unacceptable and economically unviable level. Workers were taken back on a phased basis at the mine after an eight-month shutdown.