A UNION has vowed to do everything it can to save hundreds of mining jobs.

Unite says it will fight to retain posts at ICL UK, in Boulby, east Cleveland.

Bosses at the company last week revealed plans to cut about 350 jobs by early 2016 after finding lower-than-expected reserves of its potash fertiliser.

Another 350 staff are expected to go in 2018 when ICL’s vast tunnels of potash stock, which extend under the North Sea, are fully exhausted.

The firm says it will counter the loss by ramping up work on the fertiliser polyhalite, which it markets as polysulphate, and is building a factory to crush and process the mineral.

ICL added the switch will give its mine a viable future and retain the business’ place as east Cleveland’s largest employer, with about 400 staff from 2018 onwards.

But, speaking to The Northern Echo, Tim Bush, Unite’s regional co-ordinating officer, said the union was keen to explore avenues to keep the jobs number higher, adding it hold weekly talks with management.

He said: “This will have a massive impact on east Cleveland, as it follows on from the situation with the steel industry and SSI UK in Redcar.

“The workers understand there has been some issues with the geology of the mine, but they are still in disbelief.

“So we have started the consultation process and a series of meetings are planned to explore the reasons behind the company’s decision.

“We are looking at every alternative that may be viable on jobs because ICL is a significant employer in east Cleveland.

“There is a clear path for us to go forward and the firm understands the impact these changes will have on the area.

“They are not shying away from that.”

ICL hopes its polyhalite endeavour venture, which has received support from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund, will allow it to mine one million tonnes of the mineral a year by 2020, and potentially up to four million tonnes annually thereafter.

Officials at the business, known locally as Cleveland Potash, also previously said studies showed there were more than one billion tonnes of polyhalite under its Boulby site.

Making the jobs announcement, Peter Smith, ICL’s executive vice president for potash, admitted the decision to cull staff numbers was painful, but said polyhalite work doesn’t need as many people as potash because it is a simpler process.

He told The Northern Echo: “People in the past said there was a long-term future here because they knew there was mineral underground.

“But, when we got to it, we found there is nothing more to mine.

“We have physically come to the point where we have run out of potash producing material.

“There is no future in something if we haven’t got something to mine and produce, it’s as simple as that.

“We are acutely aware of the impact this will have on people because so many of them live and work in this district, and we have an empathy.

“But we got to the point where we had no choice.

“We cannot carry on losing money and had to make some difficult decisions.

“But behind this bleak short-term outlook, there is a viable future at Boulby and that is based around polysulphate.”