Fears arise as miners await job cuts

Welsh miners at the Cwmgwrach mine believe that their jobs are at risk after discovering machinery is being removed from mining sites and sold. BBC Wales stated that the majority of the workforces at Unity Mines are convinced that they will lose their jobs and are concerned for their future. However a representative of the National Union of mineworkers, Wayne Thomas, has told the BBC that there was no discussion regarding the closure of the mines and, therefore, this should be considered as a positive outlook for mining in the modern age in the UK.
On the other hand, a local county councillor, Alfred Siddley, believes that the miners have the right to be concerned if the closure of mines persists. During an interview, he informed the BBC that a lot of miners are in their 50s and would experience difficulty in finding employment elsewhere since they have spent the majority of their life lives in the mining industry. According to the BBC, these fears seem rational as in January 2013, many owners stopped mining operations, resulting in approximately 300 mining posts being lost at the Aberpergwm drift mine near Neath.
“When one door closes, another door opens,” is a popular statement regarding the awaiting of opportunity. Despite the continuation of mine closure, there seems to be mining opportunities available out at sea. In March 2013, Kerry Hall, an editor from mining.com stated that Britain would be in partnership with an American company to mine the depths of the ocean for copper, nickel, cobalt and other rare metals. Most of the mining operations would take place in the west of Mexico and south of Hawaii. It is forecasted that this international seabed mining industry would harvest £40billion over the next 30 years. With the threshold for competition rising as China, India, South Korea, Russia and Japan have been issued mining licenses and joined the fray.
With the ocean floors having an abundance of metallic ores and other rare metals, and the mining in the UK diminishing at a substantial rate, it is expected that in the near future, the mining industry will move away from land and into the ocean.