Clive Palmer’s Queensland Nickel workers seek answers on jobs

Staff at Clive Palmer’s Queensland Nickel have been told ‘it’s business as usual’ despite evidence to the contrary.

Queensland Nickel workers have told Clive Palmer ‘we need to know what’s going on’. Picture: Liam Kidston

Workers at Clive Palmer’s Queensland Nickel refinery have been told “it’s business as usual” ­despite mounting evidence to the contrary.

There was confusion at the Yabulu refinery near Townsville yesterday as rumours of an “imminent” closure announcement ­coincided with the release of a letter from Queensland Nickel managing director Clive Mensink suggesting there was no cause for alarm.

In the letter, workers were told Mr Palmer had dipped into his personal funds and made available $2.4 million to ensure staff received their Christmas wages and the company continued to operate. It went on to describe media reports about last week’s West Australian court case, in which a judge dismissed Mr Palmer’s bid for $US48m from his estranged business partner Citic Pacific, as “highly misleading”.

“Mineralogy urgently sought some payment so it could be provided to Queensland Nickel. The judge in the case did not think that the prejudice of you losing your job was a good enough reason to deal with the matter before trial and ­decided to let the Chinese continue to take the concentrate from Mineralogy leases and not pay for it,” the letter read.

“The injustice of the current situation is deplorable and I want you to know your management team is working around the clock to find a solution.”

Workers had allegedly been warned by senior staff to expect bad news as early as yesterday afternoon but by last night word had spread of a reprieve for at least another week. Australian Workers Union northern district secretary Rod “Cowboy” Stockham said workers were sick of being drip-fed information and called on Queensland Nickel to “say it how it is”.

“If the purpose of the letter was to say ‘Don’t panic’, it has not achieved its goal,” he said. “But I am hopeful that the company will trade out of this glut.

“If there is still hope and they need more time, just come out and say so to the troops, but everyone is still on tenterhooks and we need to know what’s going on.”