Sapele Copper Mine rectifies and cuts more than 400 positions

Sapele Copper Mine rectifies and cuts more than 400 positions A local mining company announced on Friday that it will suspend the operating shaft and drilling of its Sapele (Superior Copper Mine)...

Sapele Copper Mine rectifies and cuts more than 400 positions A local miner announced on Friday that it would suspend operations and drilling at its Sapele (Superior) copper mine and cut more than 400 jobs due to ongoing instability around land exchanges. A spokesperson for Resolution Copper Mining said they would try to place affected employees in other jobs within the company, some of which would be relocated to the company's headquarters in London. The layoffs will cut 75% of the mining company's workforce, starting in December and ending in March next year. The layoffs were caused by an expansion project that had been pending at the company since 2005. The company proposed to use 5,300 acres of land for conservation purposes in exchange for 2,400 acres of national forest land for expansion plans. The deal has been blocked in Congress for years and is opposed by some preservationists and Native Americans. The company insists that the forest contains the world's largest untapped copper resource. The state's newly elected Congressman, Democratic Ankirk Betrick, said the layoffs will devastate the economies of areas surrounding the copper mines, such as Sapele, Globe, Maiami and other small communities. John McCain, the state's senior senator, urged Congress to pass legislation to facilitate the land swap deal, which would allow the mine to expand and create 4,000 new jobs.