Business
26 February, 2025
Glencore halves predicted job loss tally from copper mine closure
The owner of Mount Isa Mines has given an update on the expected job losses.
Glencore is optimistic the number of job losses from its underground copper closures later this year could be less than half the number originally forecast.
It has been widely reported that 1200 jobs would be lost from the Mount Isa Copper Operations (MICO) closure, which is about 10 per cent of the total workforce in the city.
However, at a rare media briefing last week, Glencore zinc and copper assets chief operating officer Sam Strohmayr said the company now expected there would only be about 500-600 total job losses.
It is understood this figure does not include those workers who had indicated their intention to retire in the company’s expression of interest process.
“Our ongoing consultation process aims to understand employee preferences and support them based on their individual needs,” a Glencore spokesperson told North West Weekly.
“We are actively prioritising redeployment opportunities and internal movements to minimise job losses where possible.”
It comes at a time when Glencore is scheduled to significantly increase its production at George Fisher Mine in the coming years, which has a scheduled mine life until at least 2042.
The expanding workload has allowed the company to focus its efforts on replacing FIFO contractors at George Fisher with locally-based workers affected by the MICO closure.
According to figures released by Glencore last year, the company had already redeployed about 90 MICO workers to George Fisher with a further 70 workers earmarked for redeployment in the coming months.
In news that will provide welcome relief to many local families, Glencore officials also said that no MICO apprentices would lose their jobs due to the closures and the company planned to redeploy the young workers to other areas in the business.
Speaking at the official launch of the Mount Isa City Council’s Future Ready Economic Roadmap, Mr Strohmayr said the company was continuing with plans to recommence full scale production at its Black Star Open Cut mine project within the next three years, which could see more than 300 jobs added to the city.
However, he said a final investment decision on the project was yet to be made.
“We see a very bright and strong future for our operations in Mount Isa,” Mr Strohmayr told the gathering at the Mount Isa Civic Centre.
“The economic work we are doing on the (Black Star) operation is showing that it is going to be a very compelling operation.
“We will see through our investment decision process that we will see some early works come about in 2026 and we will see full production at the end of 2027 or early 2028.”
Mr Strohmayr said the company remained committed to attracting young people to a career in the resource sector.
