Union calls on employer to follow employment standards with payouts, notification period
The jobs of Russell Vale mine workers are in jeopardy after the New South Wales Resources Regulator ordered the suspension of its coal mine operations after ongoing safety breaches, according to reports.
The NSW Resources Regulator issued on Friday a prohibition notice to the operator, barring the mining of coal at the site due to safety concerns.
"The prohibition notice will remain in place until the Regulator is satisfied appropriate safety measures have been carried out at the site," the NSW Resources Regulator said in a statement.
"The regulator's main priority is the safety of workers."
Job losses at mine
The prohibition notice is set to affect the livelihoods of dozens of workers at the site, ABC News reported.
The number of affected staff because of the prohibition remains unknown, according to the report, but the Mining and Energy Union (MEU) said it will hold more talks with its members on Monday.
"We are focused on ensuring the company follows the national employment standards with notification period and correct payouts," the MEU said as quoted by ABC News.
According to the union, they are also assisting the affected contracting firms to see if they can redirect members to other organisations looking for employees.
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Workplace safety concerns
The prohibition notice comes amid "ongoing safety concerns" at the Russell Vale underground coal mine.
In its notice, the NSW Resources Regulator revealed an initial frictional ignition event at the site in April 2022.
"Since this incident the Regulator has significantly increased its compliance and enforcement activities at the mine," the regulator said.
Between April 2022 and March 2023, the regulator's annual report recorded a total of 24 recordable injuries, ABC News reported. Nine of the incidents were lost time cases, 10 were restricted work cases, while five were medical treatment cases.
The latest incident at the underground coal mine was on January 5, where ABC News reported that excess methane was released through a gas drainage borehole which led to a fire.