Yes, Hogsback knows that CEOs - and their armies of bean counters and external auditing “consultants” - are very keen to repair their balance sheets of coal mining companies which have copped a bad rap lately because of declining coal prices. This is on top being single-handedly blamed for global warming and destroying the Great Barrier Reef.

CEOs have boards and there are shareholders that need to be reassured, especially at annual general meetings before they get stuck into the free tea and biscuits with the chairman.

What better way to show that decisive action is being taken by proclaiming a new restructure, which is a word that is becoming all too familiar in the coal industry and is code for “mass job losses”

There have been literally thousands of job losses in the Australian coal industry over the last three years. Each job that’s “restructured” out of existence is a personal tragedy for a hard working employee and his or her family.

This week we learnt the news that Illawarra Coal will be reducing its headcount by 300 or 14%.

The cumulative effect of a spate of job cuts by coal companies in the Illawarra region of New South Wales must be depleting the skills base of this historic coal mining region.

This story is being repeated around the country in once proud mining areas – the Hunter Valley, the Bowen Basin, and the Lithgow region.

Hogsback knows that some coal miners can narky, swear too much, and not be the most nicest people to be around after a gruelling 12 hour shift.

But – believe it or not – they are human and they bring their experience and knowledge to maintaining productivity in challenging environments.

Some critics say that coal mining is a dying industry and that coal miners should just suck it up and do something else.

“A job for life just doesn't have a place in our modern society,” declared Lee White, CEO of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, which commissioned Deloitte Access Economic to prepare a report on employment expectations.

“Each of us needs to recognise that our skills set, if left un-nurtured, will quickly become obsolete.

“Individuals need to ask themselves what skills they'll need to succeed in an automated society.”

That’s all very well. Automation is making great strides in longwall mining, despite ongoing challenges with the variability of mining underground.

But at the end of the day, Hogsback thinks that the industry needs coal miners – with all their faults and imperfections, and not to mention their professionalism and diligence – to keep it going. After all, mining companies with empty mines and no productive workforce aren’t doing any favours for their long suffering shareholders.