LATEST NEWS : Reports have been received this afternoon that approximately 388 construction based workers at Muswellbrook’s Mount Pleasant coal mine have been sacked amidst a range of safety concerns with the construction project.
Mine owner Mach Energy announced it was terminating the Calibre-DRA Global joint venture (CDJV), affecting 170 direct employees and 218 sub-contract workers. The construction arm of the joint venture, G&S Engineering, was awarded a $149 million contract in March last year to design and build a coal-handling plant and rail-loading facility at the mine.
MACH Energy Australia commenced construction of the Mount Pleasant Operation in the Hunter Valley in late 2016. The company said that the project construction stage is nearing completion with the majority of mine infrastructure now in use.
The company advised that further construction works on the coal handling preparation plant are expected to be completed mid next year.
MACH Energy Managing Director Ferdian Purnamasidi said construction of the initial bypass stage of the processing facility is now complete. Mr Purnamasidi announced yesterday that Mount Pleasant successfully produced first bypass coal through the facility and the mine expects to commence railing coal next week. “I am pleased with the progress and thank all involved for their hard work and dedication to the operation to ensure we reach this very important milestone. “Our first coal will be supplied locally for domestic use and we expect export sales to commence early in the New Year,” added Mr Purnamasidi.
MACH Energy completed the acquisition of the Mount Pleasant Operation, in August of 2016.
Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) organiser Mark Cross said the G&S Engineering workers and sub-contractors had been blindsided by the decision and that it was “uncalled for this close to Christmas”.
“The workers should have been retained as the workforce for whoever Mach Energy brings on board to complete the project,” he said.
He added the CFMEU and officials from the ETU and AMWU had spoken with the CDJV management and had received assurances the workers would be paid out their full entitlements including redundancy payments.
Mr Cross said the project had been plagued with safety issues that had culminated in a three-day safety stoppage after a worker was seriously injured and the company had failed to move on issues such as a lack of first-aid and safety systems.
“While this is about the worst news any worker could get just days out from Christmas, the union is grateful that no worker has been killed on this project,” he said.
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