It appears that Hunter Valley Operations (HVO) owners and the NSW Planning Department have conveniently removed a key condition of HVO's previous approval - a condition that required them to create a mine exit strategy.
Such a plan would go a long way towards addressing what the company claims to be important to it, to "support our workforce" and "minimise adverse socio-economic effects related to mine closure" ('Exit strategy missing', Newcastle Herald 23/7).
There are some closures that have done this very successfully on the same scale albeit in different environments.
They provide sound models to build on.
I remember another major Hunter closure that didn't have an approval requirement for an exit strategy - and did it anyway.
Because I was a part of it. And it wasn't called an exit strategy - which really sounds like a problem to be solved and a nuisance to be dealt with. It was called Pathways.
I'm talking, of course, about the closure of the BHP Steelworks.
Without the benefit of today's sophisticated internet and online technology nearly 30 years ago, the company managed a program of transition for workers at all levels of the business.
Over two and a half years from scratch.
I can only speak to my experience both as a recipient of the program and as part of it helping others.
How did it work? I was assigned a one-on-one "coach" from what was then "HR", or the human resources team. I met with that coach maybe monthly to talk about my skills based on my BHP career as a chemical engineer in design and operations, and later safety superintendent for the site, along with my interests and how that might translate into a new career post-closure.
We identified retraining opportunities, which included a Certificate IV in Occupational Health and Safety, a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, Advanced Auditor Training and a small business course with mentor. All paid for by the company.
If you didn't know what you wanted to do, you could get advice from a more specialized careers adviser.
There were many sessions on personal financial management for both those planning to continue working and those taking their final payment and starting a new business like me or finishing their careers and retiring.
There were workshops on writing resumes and building confidence in interviews for those wanting to continue in their same line of work or trade - many people had not applied for a job for decades!
There were development opportunities in operations for junior managers as some senior managers moved on before the closure date - experience they would have waited years for otherwise.
The Pathways program remained available to workers for two years after closure.
How did it work out for me? I cofounded a boutique WHS and leadership consulting business based in Newcastle but which took us nationally and internationally. We employed around 50 different people for various periods of time over the next 23 years. Then we sold the business as a going concern to a large corporate.
Of course there were different experiences for different people. And it wasn't cheap. But there was a process available for the people who wanted to take it.
The vast majority of the 2000-strong workforce left with a solid transition into a secure future. This had a positive flow-on effect on the 1000 contractor workers as well. And the economic shock that could have happened to Newcastle in reality became merely a blip.
Apart from the career process, the parting from 85 years of generational connection to the steelworks was also well supported. From input into a published book, to artworks exhibitions, a significant sculpture installation, formal and informal celebrations, and plenty of communications; workers, contractors, families and the general public were able to share in the acknowledged grief that came with the end of primary steelmaking. It helped a lot of people through.
If Glencore and Yancoal are really serious about supporting workers and their communities, there is a pretty good tried-and-tested model on the same scale that they could build on and make even better. The question is, are they really serious?
