Australian miners fired after being filmed doing the Harlem Shake underground

Up to 15 miners have been fired from their high-paying jobs in a gold mine after they filmed themselves performing a “Harlem Shake” dance underground which was deemed to be a safety hazard by their employer.

A YouTube video shows eight miners wearing safety gear while performing the convulsive dance – which has become an online hit – in the Agnew Gold Mine last week. The West Australian newspaper quoted a sacked worker who would not 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.

AP