Management and unions to meet again on savings plan at Tara Mines

Unions representing the 650 workers at Boliden Tara Mines are to meet management on Wednesday morning when it is expected company will outline its response to proposals put forward last weekend in an attempt to avoid the full temporary suspension of operations at the facility.

The three unions, Siptu, Connect and Unite, had all proposed alternatives after the company had announced it would be putting the mine into “care and maintenance” effectively a complete shutdown, something the Swedish owned firm said was being done to safeguard the mine’s long-term future.

After it was reported on Tuesday that two Irish contracting firms were temporarily laying off another 160 staff because of the mine owner’s decision, Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín of Aontú said he had requested an emergency meeting with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney, to discuss the situation.

He said the temporary lay-offs, which would total around 800, including the contractors, if the plan proceeds unaltered, would be “devastating news for Co Meath”.

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Mr Tóibín said the union’s proposals had involved the potential to save €70 million but that “the price of electricity in Ireland is the second highest in the EU at twice the EU average. The Government need to reduce the inflated electricity costs and help make this business viable again. Without a solution fast, families face a substantial collapse in income. They are facing an income cliff edge over the next few weeks.”

Boliden’s decision to close the operation, one of the largest zinc mines in the world, was based, it said, on a combination of increasing costs and a substantial fall in the international price of zinc. The greatly increased price of electricity has been cited as one of the factors involved and the Taoiseach said two week ago that the Government might provide supports on this front.

“We do want to help and that can involve putting in place an energy scheme,” Mr Varadkar said.

Despite this, there had been no obvious progress and ahead of Wednesday’s meeting there has been no suggestion that the company has changed its intentions.

The mine is still very much seen as having a longer term future with plans for moves to new areas, deeper underground in place although production is regarded as being several years off.