Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union district vice-president Glenn Power said company-wide redundancies had occurred despite the company assuring mine workers that water would not be an issue before longwall production started.

“However shortly after longwall production started in 203 panel, a large body of water flooded the panel, causing a string of issues for the underground mine and workers,” he said. 

Power said Caledon Resources’ CC Pty Ltd funders had since cut off funding to the site in an attempt to protect its foreign investors. 

“Australian workers are left behind with no pay, no explanation and no certainty over their futures,” he said. 

“Workers have been told they cannot access their long service leave or redundancy entitlements until the company goes into liquidation – and even then, there is no guarantee that workers will receive all funds owed to them. 

“The majority of affected workers and their families have already suffered severe financial hardship of no income since March 18 2017, where CC Pty Ltd imposed two-month stand down period without pay.”

Power said the union had tried to engage with the company and continued to meet with its administrators.

“It’s time the government intervenes to make sure this cannot happen again,” he said.

“We call on the federal member for Flynn, Ken O’Dowd, to hold an urgent meeting with the administrators to address this issue, and to pay workers their hard-earned and long-overdue entitlements.”