Harlem Shake: Oz Miners Fired For Dance

THE SKY NEWS [04/03/13]

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

Workers at an Australian gold mine lose their six-figure salaries after a video of them performing the dance appeared online.

The video was one of the many versions of the Harlem Shake to go viral
[SOURCE: http://news.sky.com]

Up to 15 miners have reportedly been sacked for performing the internet dance craze the Harlem Shake whilst working underground in an Australian gold mine.

The West Australian newspaper reported the miners lost their six-figure salaries over the stunt in the Agnew gold mine last week.

A dismissal letter cited by the paper said mine owner Barminco considered the stunt a safety issue.

A YouTube video shows eight miners performing the convulsive dance.

A sacked worker, who would not give his name told the newspaper that up to 15 people were fired, including some who watched the performance but did not participate.

Sky News has so far been unable to reach Barminco for comment.

The Harlem Shake - seen here in Germany - is popular around the world [SOURCE: http://news.sky.com]

The reported sackings have sparked a furious online debate.

A Facebook page calling for the reinstatement of the "sacked WA Harlem Shake Miners" has been set up.

"An underground mine is no place for cowboys, clowns or fools. It’s an inherently dangerous place to work and workers are entitled to expect those working alongside them to respect the risks and abide by rules and regulations," posted Greg Harris.

"A bit of fun to pass the time and they get sacked," commented Stacey Hughes.

This is not the first time the dance has got its participants into trouble.

Last week in the US, during a flight from Colorado Springs to San Diego, a group of students started the Harlem Shake leading to an investigation by the Federal Aviation Authority.

FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said they are looking at what phase the flight was in during the dance in the aisles.

Frontier Airlines said the seatbelt sign was off and safety measures were followed.

The video which started the dance craze was created by five teenagers from Queensland, Australia, calling themselves The Sunny Coast Skate.

Filmed in a bedroom, the video begins with one of the youngsters dancing erratically in a mask, and when the beat changes the others all join in.

The simple theme has been replicated millions of times on the web with up to 4,000 videos of Harlem Shake variations uploaded daily.