Base metals producer Talvivaara Mining has concluded co-operation consultations for temporary lay-offs for all personnel groups, an update issued by the company on Thursday morning reported. Following the consultations, the company stated that it would temporarily lay off 184 employees - representing approximately 32% of its workforce- between February 18th and June 30th 2013. It stated that the maximum duration of the lay-off period would be 90 days per individual employee. The company said that the lay-offs were being carried out to support the company's cost savings initiatives and overall efficiency. Talvivaara's ore production has been suspended since September 2012 due to a water balance situation. The company said it anticipated re-commencing mining of new ore by the end of June 2013 once the main part of the Kuusilampi open pit has been de-watered.Talvivaara currently employs approximately 580 people in total and its primary focus is on nickel and zinc. It uses a technology known as bioheapleaching to extract metals out of ore. MF