Ivanhoe sacks workers despite ‘mining boom’
Gold and copper mining company Ivanhoe has said . The move dents the mining industry's loud claims about its benefit to the Australian economy and jobs.
The job cuts follow the intervention of mining giant Rio Tinto. Ivanhoe’s parent company was taken over by Rio Tinto in April. Rio put four new directors on the Ivanhoe board and started a company review. The board has used the review’s findings to justify the staff cuts.
Managing director Ines Scotland said the sackings are “necessary first steps to improve the performance of the company”. Ivanhoe says the cuts will save it $10 million, but has also announced a “second phase” company overhaul where it hopes to save $20 million.
News offers more limited job prospects
Shortly after Fairfax said it would cut 1900 staff, Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited has announced 115 job cuts across its publications.
Queensland is being targeted with cuts to newspapers in the Gold Coast, Townsville and Cairns. More jobs will be lost in digital media.
, telling ABC radio: “Journalism at the [Townsville] Bulletin has been a disaster ... because they’ve trivialised it and they’ve gone down the tabloid road.”
He said the News’ offshoring of subediting was “robbing a community of its history and its community memory”.
Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary that they would consult with staff, saying: “Their view of consultation is one about taking a decision and then informing people after the fact.”
The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance said News Ltd was trying to “pick off” small groups of workers.
Baillieu sneaks in sacking spree
The Victorian government released details of its plans to axe 4200 public sector positions just before 5pm on June 22.
Critics have said the move was a designed to minimise negative media and scrutiny. The Ted Ballieu government said the announcement was delayed so it could inform staff before the media. But this was exposed as false when the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) about cuts until after the government released the news to the media.
The CPSU has launched a campaign against the cuts. The hardest-hit departments include Human Services (500 jobs cut), Justice (480 jobs), VicRoads (450 jobs) Sustainability and Environment (400 jobs) and Education and Early Childhood Development (also 400 jobs).
