Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union officer Duncan MacGregor said the redundancies will impact on Stawell in a huge way.

“The immediate situation is that we have got around 150 people out of work, 15 more who will stay on as caretakers and five geologists,” he said.

​”Out of those 150 most of them have families and now they will all be staring down the barrel that there will be no income after Christmas.” 

A Stawell Gold Mines employee who chose to remain anonymous said their jobs will officially be made redundant on Friday. 

“There was no indication that this was going to happen, not even at the company Christmas picnic on Saturday where some employees were even celebrating their 30 year anniversaries with Stawell Gold Mines,” they said.

“We feel like we are nothing, we are merely a number.

“The mining industry has been very insecure for three or four years now and it will have a massive impact on Stawell.”

The employee said they drove to Stawell Gold Mines on Tuesday morning to begin a normal rostered shift when they were greeted by security and a locked gate.

“The security member gave us a piece of paper saying all employees had to meet at the Stawell Clay Target Club for a meeting.”

Union officer Mr MacGregor said the redundancies would cause a lot of friction in the affected households.

“It is a big part of their lives that will now go missing,” he said.

​”A little over four years ago Stawell Gold Mines announced a full closure and managed to resurrect themselves, but now the boom has dropped and there is nowhere else in town like this company where employees can go.”

Ripon MP Louise Staley said Stawell Gold Mine’s decision to make more than 150 jobs redundant was a huge blow to Stawell close to Christmas. 

“The people who are losing these jobs are highly paid with full time jobs and will be really difficult to replace,” she said. 

Resources minister Wade Noonan said Stawell Gold Mine’s decision to transition their underground mine into care and maintenance was a serious blow for their workforce and the community.

“We have already been in contact with Stawell Gold Mines to support retrenched workers with our Business in Transition services,” he said.

“The Andrews Labor Government has been working with Stawell Gold Mines to provide a new pathway for their project.

“We gave Stawell Gold Mine a $196,000 minerals exploration grant to cover half the eligible exploration costs to explore the Stavely geological province.”

Stawell Gold Mines general manager Troy Cole assured employees they would receive their full entitlements and would be provided with support services including financial advice, resume writing and outplacement support.

“We understand suspending underground operations and the subsequent loss of employment opportunities will have an economic impact on Stawell and the surrounding region and we will work with authorities to mitigate this impact where possible,” he said.