ELKO, Nev.—Newmont Mining Corp. says it will cover the bounced paychecks of workers who were laid off in August from the Jerritt Canyon Mine by another mining outfit.
“We understand the financial impact of not being able to cash the checks,” said Mary Korpi, spokeswoman for Denver-based Newmont. “It’s just the right thing to do.”
Korpi said the gesture will cost Newmont about $400,000.
Also on Wednesday, Newmont, Toronto-based Barrick Gold Corp. and Great Basin College announced they will jointly fund $15,000 worth of scholarships for GBC students who lost them after the mine owned by Yukon-Nevada Gold Corp. closed last month.
The college contacted Barrick and Newmont after it was notified that the scholarships that were to be funded by Yukon-Nevada had been lost, officials said.
The companies agreed to step up for the effort “without blinking an eye,” said John Patrick Rice, GBC director of institutional advancement.
Rice said the students “had the rug pulled out from under them like 10 days before school started.”
GBC is “matching” the mines’ contribution with $7,500 it raised from its foundation accounts, Rice said. The money will fund scholarships for 15 students.
Yukon-Nevada, which operated the Jerritt Canyon Mine, laid off about 400 workers last month.
The company bought the mine last year from Queenstake Resources.
Yukon-Nevada also milled ore for Newmont, which placed a lien on some Yukon-Nevada accounts after the mine shut down.
Last week, the Elko Daily Free Press reported that Graham Dickson, Yukon-Nevada president and CEO, told some workers or their families that Newmont’s lien was the reason their paychecks bounced and they wouldn’t receive severance pay.
Newmont disputed the allegation, saying Yukon-Nevada was responsible for paying its workers.
Korpi said Jerritt Canyon employees can bring their uncashed paychecks, along with photo identification, to Newmont’s Elko office on Wednesday and Thursday to receive payment.
