First wave of Whyalla steelworkers to depart as redundancies begin
The initial group of more than 250 employees who accepted redundancy at the Whyalla steelworks will leave by Friday, following the blast furnace shutdown.
The Whyalla steelworks is set to lose its first batch of workers after the blast furnace was permanently shut down last month, reducing the direct workforce from 1,700 to 1,200. More than 250 employees have agreed to redundancy, and the union expects about 270 direct staff to accept genuine redundancies by the end of the month, with the first departures scheduled for Friday. Voluntary redundancy and early-retirement schemes will follow, and the final tally of job losses should be known by November, allowing the company to plan redeployment.
The plant, under administration since early last year, hopes to secure a buyer by the end of 2026, with administrators KordaMentha coordinating the process. Workers like Jack Taylor, a decade-long manual labourer, chose redundancy over redeployment, citing years of uncertainty and a desire to seek mining jobs while staying in Whyalla.
