Mine to lay off 37 employees

By SHIRLEY MAULUDU
THIRTY-seven employees of Wafi-Golpu Joint Venture (WGJV) in Morobe will be laid off at the end of the month, the company confirmed to the The National yesterday.
According to WGJV, the 37 staff positions were made redundant and the employees would go as a result of continued delays due to unresolved legal proceedings between National and Morobe governments regarding the internal distribution of economic benefits from the gold project.
WGJV said the workforce was being reduced in order to align to a revised work programme, however, community programmes and environmental monitoring activities would continue for the time being, although at a reduced scale.
Executive general manager and project director Bryan Bailie said: “We are very disappointed with the present situation the project finds itself in.
“It is difficult to estimate the duration of the permitting delay and stakeholders will be advised when discussions recommence.”
The national and provincial governments, landowners and other key stakeholders have continued to signal their strong support for the project. Meanwhile, according to the company, WGJV is well placed to resume discussions with the Government, given the constructive progress already made on various agreements required to complete the licensing process and granting of the special mining lease.
The project is an even share joint venture between Newcrest Mining Ltd and Harmony Gold Mining.
WGJV’s current focus is on the massive Golpu porphyry, the most advanced and economically significant of these deposits.
Pre-feasibility and feasibility studies were completed in 2016 and supported the viability of construction and operation of a long life underground copper-gold mine.
The method to proposed to extract the minerals at the mining operations is block caving.