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.
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