Miners fired for underground 'Harlem Shake' video
PERTH, Australia (AP) - Up to 15 miners were fired from their high-paying jobs in an Australian gold mine after a "Harlem Shake" performance underground was deemed a safety hazard, a newspaper reported on Monday.
A YouTube video shows eight miners wearing safety gear while performing the convulsive dance in the Agnew Gold Mine last week. The West Australian newspaper quoted a sacked worker who wouldn't give his name as saying up to 15 people were fired, including some who watched the performance but did not participate.
Mine owner Barminco considered the stunt a safety issue and a breach of its "core values of safety, integrity and excellence," according to a dismissal letter cited by the paper.
The letter noted that Barminco would not allow the dancing workers "to be subcontracted by Barminco at any site domestically and globally."
It's not clear from the video what safety issues are raised. The dancing miners wear helmets, but five are shirtless. The sacked worker told the newspaper that shirts had been removed to ensure the Barminco name did not appear in the video.
Barminco, which has operations in Africa as well as its native Australia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Australia is experiencing a mining boom, with thousands of workers attracted by high salaries to remote Outback mines. The West Australian said the miners who lost their jobs had six-figure salaries.
The unnamed worker who spoke to the newspaper said the miners were only "having a bit of fun." A Facebook page set up seeking their reinstatement carried comments supporting the workers as well as people saying safety regulations should be obeyed.
Paddy Gorman, spokesman for the Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union, said none of the miners at Agnew Gold Mine in resource-rich Western Australia state is a member of the mining union.
Up to 4,000 videos of "Harlem Shake" variations are uploaded on the Internet daily. The song "Harlem Shake," recorded by Brooklyn disc jockey and producer Baauer, is currently No.2 on the Australian singles chart.
A YouTube video shows eight miners wearing safety gear while performing the convulsive dance in the Agnew Gold Mine last week. The West Australian newspaper quoted a sacked worker who wouldn't give his name as saying up to 15 people were fired, including some who watched the performance but did not participate.
Mine owner Barminco considered the stunt a safety issue and a breach of its "core values of safety, integrity and excellence," according to a dismissal letter cited by the paper.
The letter noted that Barminco would not allow the dancing workers "to be subcontracted by Barminco at any site domestically and globally."
It's not clear from the video what safety issues are raised. The dancing miners wear helmets, but five are shirtless. The sacked worker told the newspaper that shirts had been removed to ensure the Barminco name did not appear in the video.
Barminco, which has operations in Africa as well as its native Australia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Australia is experiencing a mining boom, with thousands of workers attracted by high salaries to remote Outback mines. The West Australian said the miners who lost their jobs had six-figure salaries.
The unnamed worker who spoke to the newspaper said the miners were only "having a bit of fun." A Facebook page set up seeking their reinstatement carried comments supporting the workers as well as people saying safety regulations should be obeyed.
Paddy Gorman, spokesman for the Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union, said none of the miners at Agnew Gold Mine in resource-rich Western Australia state is a member of the mining union.
Up to 4,000 videos of "Harlem Shake" variations are uploaded on the Internet daily. The song "Harlem Shake," recorded by Brooklyn disc jockey and producer Baauer, is currently No.2 on the Australian singles chart.
I think their bosses name is Mr.E.Scrooge.
other than throwing my back out , looks safe to me .....
"It's not clear from the video what safety issues are raised."
 Irreverent dancing and gyrations with clothing removed around industrial equipment on sloppy muck under the ground doesn't strike you as unsafe? Are people just completely stupid now? Â
So thier boss couldn't dig it, ah?
Losing jobs for this? A little overboard in my opinion!Â
@sometimesright Their non union and as such are at will employees. The employer doesnt need just cause for firing, all they have to say is, see ya. This happens all the time to non union workers, they work til they start slowing down a little and then wham, their gone no matter how loyal they were. There is always going to be a kid come up behind you that is willing to do a little more for a lot less. If you have a seniority clause in your collective bargaining agreement, then your employer has to show just cause for the firing, and that isnt very hard to do sooner or later.
lol, Good, maybe all this harlem shake bs will go away now. Â Sick of hearing about it.
How can I get a job to be a miner there? I want to make six figures!
Firing seems overkill. I hope they find better jobs.
@johnbe I truly wonder if lives were at stake? It sounds like somebody got a bee in their bonnet...