Rio reviews Gove as 1500 jobs at risk Unions are seeking talks with the government over the future of 1500 jobs at a Rio Tinto refinery. MINING giant Rio Tinto is reviewing the status of its alumina refinery at Gove in the Northern Territory, putting the future of up to 1500 workers at risk. The company says plans to convert the alumina refinery to gas will no longer proceed, and it is now considering future options around the facility. But there will be no change to refinery operations until a decision on its future has been made. "Rio Tinto is reviewing the status of its alumina refinery at Gove, with deteriorating market conditions amplifying the challenges of the current operating environment," the company said. Rio Tinto will be consulting with employees and the community in the coming weeks and will advise all stakeholders about its decision at the earliest opportunity. Key factors under consideration are continuing low alumina prices, a high exchange rate and substantial after-tax losses for the refinery. The company said it had made considerable efforts to improve the refinery's performance and worked hard with the federal and Northern Territory governments to secure a long-term future for the refinery. But there was nothing more that could reasonably be expected to be done by either government to support the business case for gas, it said. Under all scenarios, bauxite mining operations are planned to continue, Rio said. Around 1500 workers are employed at the Gove refinery, and unions are seeking an urgent meeting with the federal and Northern Territory governments. Australian Workers Union national secretary Paul Howes has written to federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane and NT Chief Minister Adam Giles seeking urgent action to keep it open. It simply defies logic that we would allow 1500 jobs to be shed," Mr Howes said in a statement on Tuesday. The Gove alumina refinery is simply too big to fail. Mr Howes said there would be a flow-on effect to other jobs in the NT. A plan to keep the site viable, which was in place under Mr Giles' predecessor, needed to be dusted off and implemented, he said. It is understood Rio's decision relates to the future of subsidised gas supplies.