Tara Mines management under attack in both Dail and Seanad

Tara Mines came under fire this week in both the Dail and Seanad as local representatives spoke of the undue stress to the hard-working miners and their families as well as the huge profits made by the company last year.

Workers at Tara Mines have been temporarily laid off for 132 days. Some 620 direct employees at the mine are affected with an estimated 2,000 workers affected overall.

Senator Shane Cassells told the Seanad that Boliden Tara Mines had made substantial profits last year but the workers cannot provide for their families

"Tara Mines' profits were more than €24 million last year. These guys are crying poverty. It is not a stand-alone mine. It is part of a mining network across northern Europe. The group is well capable of sustaining the impact on income due to a drop in zinc prices this year to keep those people in employment."

"Boliden has reneged on a commitment to an independent facilitation process to find a pathway forward for a reopening date for Tara Mines. These workers are in limbo. They have not been let go but have instead been temporarily suspended.

"Those workers are a month out from Christmas and cannot provide for their families.

"Tara Mines has said it is working on a rescue plan. I ask it to publish that rescue plan. I ask it to publish the reopening date so that the 700 workers and their families, and the 2,000 people whose jobs are dependent on the mine, have a way forward and a pathway a month from Christmas."

In the Dail, Deputy Guirke voiced his disappointment at the management of Boliden Tara Mines for their lack of transparency and delayed plans for the reopening of the mines.

"The prolonged closure of the mines has left hundreds of workers and their families in a state of uncertainty, particularly as the Christmas season approaches.

"Despite weeks of negotiations, the management of Boliden Tara Mines has failed to provide a clear resumption date for operations, causing undue stress to the hardworking miners and their families. Furthermore, there has been an evident lack of progress in establishing a facilitation process to determine a path forward."

Deputy Guirke looked for clarification on the government's involvement in the discussions with Tara Mines management. He urged immediate interaction between the government and the management to ensure open dialogue and a clear path forward.

Deputy Guirke called on the management of Boliden Tara Mines to prioritise their social responsibility and work towards finding a resolution that enables the workers to resume their operations or to be offered redundancy packages.

SIPTU representatives have condemned the Tara Mines management for its "abject failure" after weeks of negotiations failed to agree a facilitation process.

The union says that management at the site had originally agreed to an independent facilitation process to resolve issues which would assist with the re-opening of the mine but has now reneged on that commitment.

John Regan, SIPTU Sector Organiser, said: "New Boliden unilaterally made the decision to put the mine into care and maintenance despite our best efforts. These included suggesting an independent facilitator to assist with the original 63 proposed changes to operational issues identified by the Group of Unions (GOU)."

Mr Regan said a letter from management's last Thursday confirmed that the company intends to stick with their own facilitator, thereby ruling out the joint facilitation process for which the Group of Unions had called.

"The GOU is urgently seeking a date for the reopening of the mine, an outline of voluntary redundancy terms and a request for a hearing of the Labour Court."

Andrew McGuinness, SIPTU Assistant Industrial Organiser, said: "It was clearly agreed in the terms of reference that the GOU would have a nominated facilitator in order to tackle the issues and bring the mine back into operation. The fact that this hasn't been respected is hugely disappointing.

"We are continuing to seek the involvement of senior management from the parent company in this process. They must urgently come to the table and help to resolve the issues that are preventing the reopening of the mine."

A spokesperson for Tara Mines said "We are doing everything we can to re-open the mine as soon as possible. We are working on the development of a rescue plan, designed to address operational challenges at Tara Mines, and want to work together with the group of unions on this.

"These operational challenges were one of the factors that led to the decision to temporarily enter care and maintenance. Ultimately the re-opening of the mine will be influenced by external market conditions, but the development of a rescue plan, which is within our control, will help to expedite the re-opening process.

"In order to help develop the plan, we agreed to hold a series of workshops attended by management, employees and union representatives. We believed the arrangements for the workshops were agreed by all parties, and we have agreed that the workshops should have an independent facilitator.

"We hope to resolve the issues regarding these arrangements swiftly, as we believe the workshops will be of benefit in the development of a rescue plan.

"We will continue to engage with the group of unions. We do not believe a reference to the Labour Court is necessary at this stage, although we will participate fully in the process."