Miners to travel to Beehive to plead for jobs and communities
 
Miners from Solid Energy’s Spring Creek and Huntly East mines will travel to Parliament on Tuesday to plead with the Government to save their mines and the communities that depend on them.
 
They hope to present the Government with a joint plan devised by management and workers to keep the mine open.
 
Spring Creek miner and union delegate Trevor Bolderson says he hopes the Government will meet with him and his workmates.
 
“We’re travelling to Wellington because we want the Government to understand what closing Spring Creek will mean for the local community. This isn’t just about our jobs, it’s about providing a future for Greymouth.
 
“The joint plan shows Spring Creek is viable, but the Government will need to come to the party by providing some financial support to get the mine through the next year or two.
 
“We’re hoping to make them see that the economic and human cost of closing Spring Creek would be unconscionable.”
 
Huntly East miner and union delegate Brian Lynch says the long-term damage to his community could be just as great if the Government doesn’t step up.
 
“Solid Energy’s proposal to cancel the Huntly East ventilation project is a very risky and short-term cost saving strategy that could force the mine to stop production within two years.
 
“If Huntly East closes the community will suffer a body blow, and the downstream effects on the Glenbrook steel mill could be even greater. There are hundreds of jobs at stake here and we’ll be encouraging the Government to see the bigger picture.”
 
The miners will arrive at Parliament at 12 noon on Tuesday. The Government has not yet confirmed it will meet with the miners’ delegation.
 
The miners have paid for the trip through community donations and their own funds.
 
ENDS

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