Virtue signalling? How about long-term investing in your labour source. Mines like this will make or break on the goodwill of the local community.
And if you haven't been through this sort of action before then yes, it is a great learning opportunity. There's no better way to make money in the market than to lose some to start with, ideally big so it really, really hurts.
BAT Price at posting:
2.9¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held