Tara Mines to reopen after nine months as deal reached at WRC

Tara Mines Co Meath

THE TARA MINES in Co Meath will reopen as an agreement has been reached following talks at Workplace Relations Commission between management and unions.

Employees will return to work on a phased basis. There will be redundancies, but they will be on a voluntary basis.

“People will be returning and we’ve secured people’s core terms and conditions of employment,” said SIPTU representative Adrian Kane.

The union will release more details later today.

The mines have been closed for nine months and the group of unions began talks with management in January.

In a letter sent to employees in the early hours of this morning, the group said: “Upon acceptance, it will take some time for the operation to resume in full, but our intention is to commence the re-opening process immediately on acceptance of the deal.

“We believe that the proposals that has been agreed is the best possible in light of the continuing external market challenges.

“It will allow the mine to re-open on a basis that is financially sustainable, safeguarding the long-term future of the operation here.”

The decision will put an end to months of uncertainty for workers and families.

Swedish parent company Boliden announced the temporary closure of the facility last June, and closure took effect in July.

This resulted in around 650 workers being temporarily laid off.

Boliden said it made this decision due to “operational challenges” including a “decline in the price of zinc, high energy prices, and general cost inflation”.

Justice Minister and Meath East TD Helen McEntee described today’s deal as “promising news”.