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Category: Unions / Industrial Relations / Mining (Rural)

Unions to fight Fair Work decision allowing sacking of striking mine workers

Wednesday, 30 Nov 2016 13:55:32 | Annie Guest

Workers at Anglo American's German Creek mine have been on strike for 103 days. (AAP: Dan Peled)

Unions are gearing up to fight a Fair Work Commission decision they claim gives employers a green light to sack striking workers.

Coal miners at Anglo American's German Creek mine in central Queensland have been on strike for 103 days, campaigning for job security.

Anglo successfully argued that the strike forced it to change work practices and now the industrial umpire says it can go ahead with redundancies.

Stephen Smyth, district vice-president of the CFMEU, said their members had been on strike since August 19.

"The strike's involved an overtime ban and also involved strike action with protest lines and other rallies," he said.

He said workers were striking about negotiations over the enterprise bargaining agreement.

"The nine outstanding items that relate to job security, health and safety, and general protections within the agreement," Mr Smyth said.

According to Mr Smyth, it is one of the longest strikes in the history of the mining industry.

Sackings pave way for 'casualisation': union

Anglo American argued successfully to the Fair Work Commission that it found efficiencies which could save it up to $40 million over three years.

The commission found the company did not have enough operators to work specialised equipment, giving the green light for sackings.

But Mr Smyth said that was "nonsense", arguing that the logic behind the decision was fraught.

"They parked this shovel up, two to three months ago, well prior to the dispute," he said.

"They're now trying to use that shovel parking up as a catalyst or a tool to say they've got a way to lay off 83 permanent workers.

"They're simply using that as an excuse to say they don't need the surplus people on site."

Audio: Listen to Annie Guest's story here (The World Today)

My Smyth said the commission's decision was only one part of the story.

"It's a smokescreen to cover up what Anglo really has to do and the commission aided and abetted them," he said.

"The savings will not come through efficiencies or increasing productivity.

"The savings directly lead to the issue we've got with casualisation."

Earlier this month, Queensland Labor MP Jim Pearce turned on his own government over the handling of the state's mining industry.

He warned Parliament of the effect sacking workers would have on the German Creek site.

"As they are told they no longer have a job, a labour hire company will be driving casual workers through the gate to replace those who have been dumped — dumped because Anglo Coal can do just that," he said at the time.

The Fair Work Commission has told Anglo American it is open to the CFMEU taking further action if it believes its members are being targeted in favour of casual workers.

He said his union would consider its options accordingly.

"We're preparing our options as we speak," he said.

"The ACTU as a peak body is also looking at this, so this is not finished in any way."

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