Peabody spokeswoman Michelle Barisic further confirmed that the voluntary redundancy efforts were mainly targeting support staff roles at the Brisbane head office.

“As part of its global repositioning initiative, Peabody Energy is offering a voluntary redundancy program for a segment of the company’s global employee population to allow Peabody to better match its workforce to market conditions,” she said.

“For those who are eligible, the program offers a financial incentive to move forward with a planned transition. This is part of multiple larger initiatives involving cost containment, capital discipline and debt reduction.”