Paul Murphy: Demands Action Over Tara Mines Closure
Paul Murphy addressed a protest by workers at Tara Mines, condemning their treatment by employer Baliden and warning of imminent job and wage losses. He urged the government to press the company to keep the mine operating with full wages and raised the call for public ownership voiced by Unite.
Workers protest and company conduct
The speaker saluted the Tara Mines workers who mounted a protest and described the employer Baliden's treatment as horrendous. He highlighted the lack of a timetable for reopening, the threat of job and wage losses, and noted that Tara Mines has been profitable over the past 13 years with no real justification offered by the company.
Call for government intervention and public ownership
Paul Murphy asked what the government will do to support affected workers, specifically whether it will pressure the company to continue operations with full wages. He also relayed calls from Unite and others to consider taking Tara Mines into public ownership to protect jobs, skills and the natural asset represented by the mine.
Government engagement and official response
The minister stated that public ownership is not currently on the agenda but said the primary concern is the impacted staff and their families, including 650 staff employed directly in Navin and other contractors. The minister reported meetings with the company's management last week and engagement by Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment officials and Enterprise Ireland to explore assistance to introduce efficiencies and reduce costs, including energy, within state aid parameters.
Union meetings and dispute resolution
The minister noted meetings with trade unions and referenced a Workplace Relations Commission meeting scheduled for the week, indicating ongoing engagement between the company, unions and state agencies to try to resolve the situation.
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First of all I want to salute the workers at Tara Mines who have mounted a protest today. The way that they're being treated by their employer, Baliden, is horrendous. They're facing shortly the loss of their jobs, the loss of their wages, the huge impact that will have on their community that is supposedly temporary but they're not being given any date or even time frame for when the mine will be back in operation. Tara Mines have been profitable over the past 13 years. No real justification has been put forward by the company for this. The question is, what is the government going to do to support these workers? Will you put pressure on the company to continue the mines in operation with full wages for the workers? And if they don't, will you heed the call from Unite and others to take Tara Mines into public ownership in order to ensure that jobs are protected, skills are protected, and to retain this vital, natural asset. The option of taking into public ownership is not on the agenda, Deputy Deputy, but our major concern is with the impacted staff and their families, and this includes 650 staff who are employed directly by the company in Navin, but also staff and companies impacted which have contracts with Tara Mines. And Minister Coveney met the management team from Tara Mines last week. The Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment officials and Enterprise Ireland, the agency, are engaging with the company to try and work out what assistance can be given to introduce efficiencies, reduce costs, including energy costs within state aid parameters. So every effort has been made to see what we can do to try and get Tara Mines reopened. And also, Minister Coveney has met with the trade unions on Monday afternoon. We are very conscious of their concerns and the WRC meeting this week.
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