The move is reportedly a response to a downturn in prices and has drawn fire from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.

In a report by the ABC, Thiess said it was examining all options to retain the staff at other work sites but union backlash was unforgiving.

CFMEU spokesman Steve Pierce called the cuts unnecessary and greedy.

“[T]hey are still making in excess of $100 a tonne for coal that three or four years ago were getting $40 and $50 a tonne for, so they are still making damn good profits,” he told the ABC.

“We need to dispel the myth that is being perpetrated by the coal industry that they are going broke.

“Unfortunately coal companies do this every time there is a slight hiccup in the market … They will terminate these people, then in 12 months’ time they will be whinging and moaning in the press saying that there are no skilled operators available to go to their mines to help them meet the demands.”

The report also cites a Thiess spokesman saying a reduction in the mine fleet has made redundancies unavoidable.

ILN was unable to contact Thiess as of press time due to the company’s holiday break.

Collinsville’s eight-pit complex 80 kilometres southwest of Bowen hit a stumbling block earlier this year when 27 employees checked into hospital following gas-related complaints.

Coal in the 2750ha mine’s eight seams had been determined to be prone to spontaneous combustion due to intrusions and minerals such as iron pyrites found in the surrounding geology.

The mine produces 4.5 million tonnes of thermal and coking coal per annum.