Anglo American to submit revised mine plan for employment continuity

On Friday 28 November Anglo American met with Drayton mine’s 500 employees and advised them that a mine plan had been developed that would see Drayton operating until early 2015 and a new Drayton South project proposal would be submitted to the NSW Government early in the New Year to secure ongoing employment for the long term.

Anglo American’s Head of Open Cut Operations, Mark Heaton, travelled to the 30-year-old Drayton mine to speak with employees and said Anglo American was working hard to maintain employment continuity for as many people as possible by seeking approval for a new Drayton South project.

“Looking first at the coal we have left at Drayton, we have developed an interim mine plan that would allow operations to continue until early next year which satisfies our immediate employment challenges, however for ongoing employment continuity we require a speedy resolution for the Drayton South project,” Mr Heaton said.

“We will submit this application as soon as possible with the aim to receive an approval with urgency early next year.

“We believe the revised project plan and conditions will address the PAC concerns in a fair and reasonable manner in line with the Government’s stated policy on industry coexistence.

“We ask the NSW Government to honour their recent comments about the need for planning reform and shorter project assessment periods, act on their statements about supporting the industry and approve the revised Drayton South proposal when it is lodged to avoid pending job losses.

“In the meantime, we will continue to assess the resourcing requirements for Drayton mine and will notify employees of any changes as soon as possible.

“Unfortunately for our workforce, despite some recent encouraging words from the Government regarding the need for planning reform, we cannot be more definitive at this point in time and the period of prolonged uncertainty continues.

“Understandably, our people are very concerned about their employment options after the beginning of next year and are looking to the Government to find a solution.

“From our end we are looking at all options to secure the Drayton South project and a future for Drayton employees, and we’ll work with our employees every step of the way,” Mr Heaton said.

ENDS