Mine jobs to go to skilled
PA Wellington The Coal Corporation says it wants to select the people who are best for the jobs, irrespective of their age. The corporation’s establishment unit chief executive, Mr Ron Janes, said that Coalcorp would not follow a Mine Workers’ Union call for a “last on, first off’ policy.
The State Coalmines workforce of 1728 will be cut by about half when the corporation comes into existence next month. Mr Janes said mine workers would be selected first for their skill and ability in terms of the tasks they had to do; second, on their attendance record; and third, on their years of service.
There were a number of reasons why the “last on, first off’ policy had been rejected.
“The numbers that are involved are so substantial that we don’t know that that would give a very sensible distribution of ages through the structure.
“Second, we don’t necessarily believe that that system would give us the best people in the business. “We will remain a fairly fragile business for some time into the future and we cannot afford to be carrying people who are not contributing at the full extent of their abilities,” he said.
Mr Janes said workers would be advised by the middle of March if they had been selected to join Coalcorp. Deployment agreements would cover people not picked up by the Coal Corporation.
“There is one for salaried staff, which has already been negotiated between the State Services Commission and the Public Service Association, and there is one which is being negotiated between the Mine Workers’ Union and State Coal Mines for wage-worker staff,” he said.
Deployment agreements offered a variety of packages designed either to find people alternative employment, provide early retirement or, as a last resort, provide them with voluntary severance.
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Press, 5 March 1987, Page 3
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304Mine jobs to go to skilled Press, 5 March 1987, Page 3
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