UPDATE – Integra mine closure to cost 500 jobs

According to local media, the mine closures at the Integra mine complex – announced by Vale last Friday – will see the Glennies Creek underground and Camberwell opencast mines put into care and maintenance with the loss of 500 jobs.

Coal miners in shock

"The workers are all in shock at the moment and the anger is starting to set in, there's no doubt about that," Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) district secretary Peter Jordan told AAP. "We've got 350 members engaged at both the mines and when you add support staff to that you're talking about 500 Integra jobs."

“Unfortunately we are about to get a taste of what the Hunter [Valley’s] economy would be like without a strong coal mining industry,” said local member of parliament, Joel Fitzgibbon. “It is not just the direct jobs – it is also the manufacturers and support industries, the petrol stations, the sandwich shops and many other businesses which rely on mining.”

Coal a vital part of the Hunter Valley’s economy

Fitzgibbon also criticised those that argued for ending of coal mining in the region, saying he “completely rejected this view”, adding that mining has existed alongside the traditional sustainable industries of agriculture, viticulture and horse breeding in the Hunter Valley for decades and “with the right regulatory environment can continue to do so”.

The Integra mine closures follow the announcement by Glencore Xstrata that it was to close the Ravensworth underground coal mine in September of this year. Meanwhile, Jindal Steel and Coal warned that jobs may go at its Russell Vale and Wongawilli coal mines as it looks to cut costs. 

Written by Jonathan Rowland

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/20052014/update_integra_mine_closur_to_cost_500_jobs_coal866/