December 9th, 2009
I had been working in Australian underground mines for over 10 years before I had the opportunity to visit some underground mines in the USA. What amazed me was the stark contrasts in mining practices in Australia vs the USA. I thought that I would share some of those experiences for those that have not had the privilege of seeing both USA and Australian underground mines. There are some practices that are widespread in Australia, yet banned in USA mines. On the other hand, there are some things that are allowed in USA mines that Australian mine workers would not believe were allowed.
March 11th, 2009
The Australian Mines and Metals Association (AMMA) has released a survey showing that over half of our mining companies will cut staff numbers over the next 12 months.
The AMMA surveyed over 100 mining companies and found that:
55% of companies were likely to cut staff
a further 21% of companies said that cutting staff was a possibility
15% suggested that [...]
March 11th, 2009
News out of Japan is that Australia’s largest coal producers are to agree to a 40% cut in thermal coal prices. The final price is expected to be in the range of US$70 – US$72 per tonne, sharply down from the US$125 per tonne that Japanese companies have been paying for their thermal coal.
This cut [...]