Workers from Tara Mines have held a demonstration outside Leinster House this afternoon.
Miner Michael Lealan said that workers are "devastated and angry" about the imminent closure of the mine.
Over 650 workers are due to be laid off on Friday, when the operation is temporarily suspended and placed under "care and maintenance".
A number of workers and representatives from three unions, SIPTU, Unite and Connect, are meeting with members of the Oireachtas today, to voice their concern about the situtation.
Mr Lealan, who is also chair of the miners' union, said the group wanted to highlight the devastating effects this will have on the workers and the local community.
He said everyone is devastated and angry, and the reality is now starting to set in, ahead of Friday.
"People are getting upset and depressed by it, it’s tough," he said.
He said that the workers want the mine to be able to open as soon as possible and they are hoping if the company, Boliden, gets assistance from Government on issues like the cost of energy, that can happen.
"The sooner we’re back, if we get assistance from the Government, if the company gets some help with the cost of energy, the sooner we get back, the sooner we start paying our taxes and contributing again".
"We don’t want to be on the dole, we all want to work".
He said that uncertainty over how long this period of "care and maintenance" at the mine would last was hard for the workers.
The group would also be asking the Government to change the "cliff edge" social welfare system.
"The way we see it, we’ve all paid huge amounts of taxes for many years and we’re all faced with the minimum soical benefits from the moment we leave the site. It just doesn’t seem right," Mr Lealan said.
A ballot on an agreement brokered between management and unions before the Workplace Relations Commission regarding pay and conditions for staff during this period is currently under way.
Unions have recommended the deal to their members and a result is expected tomorrow.
It includes a retainer payment for staff and a provision they can return to work with the same pay and conditions when the mine reopens.
The company, Boliden, said it took the decision in response to significant and unsustainable financial losses, driven by a number of factors including a decline in the price of zinc and high energy prices.
Speaking outside Leinster House before the meeting, SIPTU Divisional Organiser Adrian Kane said it was time for the social welfare system to change, a system he described as being a "hangover from Victorian times".
"The most important thing we can get out of this meeting is to try to get some change in the social protection system, which is totally out of line with the rest of Europe, where you have this cliff edge, where you're back on €220. For the rest of Europe, you would be on a percentage of your wage for a period of time from 6-12 months," he said.
"It’s time for that to change, we did that during the pandemic, now we need that change implemented immediately. The government committed to that in the programme for Government over three years ago, and it still hasn’t been implemented".
A spokesperson for the Minister for Social protection Heather Humphreys said that she is "extremely committed" to introducing pay related benefit.
Proposals for this are now at an advanced stage, and a spokesperson said the Minister will bring a memo to Government for approval "shortly".
Officials from the Department of Social Protection are continuing to work on the ground with the affected workers.
