Clive Palmer has written to the workers sacked from his Townsville nickel refinery to apologise for letting them go.
The 237 Queensland Nickel employees who have lost their jobs last week started receiving letters signed by the politician and mining magnate expressing his sadness at their being made redundant.
‘I can only say how sad I am that we have lost your skills and services to the company,’ it reads.
‘I can only apologise that we were not able to retain you as part of our workforce.’
Mr Palmer concedes to the workers it doesn’t soften the blow for him to point to flatlining global nickel prices or that “the Queensland Government haven’t supported the company as it should have”.
The letter appears to be the first time Mr Palmer has addressed the workers after they were let go last Friday.
It comes as Annastacia Palaszczuk chaired crisis talks with senior ministers in Townsville on Wednesday, two days after the company went into voluntary administration.
The result was the acceleration of a further $125 million in capital works and more than 430 jobs in Townsville – a move that has ruffled feathers in other parts of the state also feeling the sting of the mining downturn.
Administrators FTI Consulting are not commenting until a meeting with creditors next week.
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