20 February, 2012
A local Swedish mining union in northern Sweden has now officially made clear their opposition to Australian backed Kiruna Iron’s plan to mine in sensitive mountain areas around the Kalix river in northern Sweden.
”For a proposed mine with such a short life-time, this concerns far too significant impacts in an important recreational area ”, says Jan Thelin, chairman of the local mining union – ‘Gruvtolvan’. [See reporting in Swedish]
The Mining Union’s recent critique of Kiruna Iron’s plans appears to reflect broader community sentiment. On Friday 16th of February over 200 concerned locals met at a community meeting to discuss Kiruna Iron’s mining plans, with representatives from the tourism industry, fishing groups, environmental groups, local home-owners, and local Saami communities. [See reporting in Swedish]
