Yancoal has made 18 miners redundant at its Ashton coal mine, with another 90 expected to lose their jobs in the coming weeks.
The company says it was forced to let the miners go after it stopped full scale operations last year, the ABC reports.
Miners had been carrying out limited operations since December, in hopes that Yancoal’s Development Application (DA) for its open cut mine would be approved.
The DA was initially lodged in 2009, but faced heavy opposition from local Indigenous group, the Wonnarua people, who say the coal mine will destroy heritage sites.
The 90 workers are predicted to lose their jobs if Yancoal’s application is not approved in the next six weeks.