Management and unions at Tara Mines in County Meath are taking part in fresh talks this evening, aimed at preventing the closure of the 630-job mine on Friday night. The last shift is due to end at 10pm on Friday. This evening's talks were arranged by the chairman of Meath County Council, Brian Fitzgerald, but a closure team has already been put in place to wind down the mine if there is no agreement. Before the talks opened, the company said that, as of now, the closure was still going ahead.
Losses at the company are currently running at £1.6 million a month, and in a statement last week the company said that it had no option but to suspend its operations, which were "uncompetitive and non-profitable." A fortnight ago, the Labour Court issued a recommendation, backing the unions' plan for the introduction of cost savings, but said that if those savings were not achieved within three months, the company's own plan should begin immediately. That Labour Court recommendation was accepted by the unions, but the company said that it did not provide adequate savings.
