Job losses likely at Daw Mill

UK Coal is to axe 200 jobs at the Daw Mill Colliery in Warwickshire as fears grow that the last remaining pit in the West Midlands is to close.

The workforce is to shrink from 700 to 500 by September despite the fact that production targets have been met, according to the Union of Democratic Mineworkers (UDM).

Earlier this year UK Coal said it is considering plans to shut the mine, between Tamworth and Coventry, as part of a wider restructuring of the group.
The company said it would only be retained beyond 2013 if it could find a “lower risk operating model”.

In March UK Coal said the Daw Mill mine was 175,000 tonnes behind budget and managing director for mining Gareth Williams was charged with finding ways of improving production.

The UDM says it will not oppose redunancies as long as they are voluntary.
Daw Mill is one of just five deep pits remaining in the UK.