Worker strike at South32 mine extended by another week
Industrial action at South32’s Appin mine was initially due to end on 25 August but has been extended to 1 September.
South32’s Appin Mine in the Wollondilly region of New South Wales.
Credit: South32.
Collieries’ Staff and Officials Association (CSOA), Australia’s trade union that represents thousands of workers in the coal mining industry, said on Tuesday that mining employees at South32’s Appin mine voted to extent strikes for another week.
Industrial action was initially due to end on 25 August, but has been extended to 1 September, Reuters reports. Dissatisfaction among workers about working conditions triggered the strike. According to the CSOA, the dispute is over demands for “a reasonable work/life balance,” such as access to leave and certainty around weekend work.
“To date, South32 has not come back with a formal offer that addresses any of our concerns,” CSOA Lead Organiser Belinda Giblin said.
A spokesperson for South32 told Reuters that work rotas for mining supervisors rotate between three days on and four days off, or four days on and three days off. They added that a workplace agreement would have given them a 6.3% pay rise for this financial year, and that employees due to work on public holidays receive ample advance notice and additional pay.
Some parts of the Appin mine, located in New South Wales, will remain non-operational for the duration of the strike. Another meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, in which negotiations between the company and union representatives will continue.
Last week, a branch of the Catholic Church in South Africa filed a class action lawsuit against South32 on behalf of 17 current and former employees who have contracted incurable lung diseases since working at its mines in the country.
The application for certification of the class action accuses the company of failing to provide its employees with “adequate training, equipment and a safe working environment,” adding that the two types of lung disease found among workers are “wholly preventable”.
A spokesperson for South32 told the Catholic News Agency that the matter “is currently being considered by the business,” adding that the company is “unable to comment further at this point in time.”
In July, South32 was ordered to pay out $2.9m (A$4.5m) after an investigation found it was illegally syphoning local supplies of drinking water to use in its facility in Mount Kembla, Australia.
Collieries’ Staff and Officials Association (CSOA), Australia’s trade union that represents thousands of workers in the coal mining industry, said on Tuesday that mining employees at South32’s Appin mine voted to extent strikes for another week.
Industrial action was initially due to end on 25 August, but has been extended to 1 September, Reuters reports. Dissatisfaction among workers about working conditions triggered the strike. According to the CSOA, the dispute is over demands for “a reasonable work/life balance,” such as access to leave and certainty around weekend work.
“To date, South32 has not come back with a formal offer that addresses any of our concerns,” CSOA Lead Organiser Belinda Giblin said.
A spokesperson for South32 told Reuters that work rotas for mining supervisors rotate between three days on and four days off, or four days on and three days off. They added that a workplace agreement would have given them a 6.3% pay rise for this financial year, and that employees due to work on public holidays receive ample advance notice and additional pay.
Some parts of the Appin mine, located in New South Wales, will remain non-operational for the duration of the strike. Another meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, in which negotiations between the company and union representatives will continue.
Last week, a branch of the Catholic Church in South Africa filed a class action lawsuit against South32 on behalf of 17 current and former employees who have contracted incurable lung diseases since working at its mines in the country.
The application for certification of the class action accuses the company of failing to provide its employees with “adequate training, equipment and a safe working environment,” adding that the two types of lung disease found among workers are “wholly preventable”.
A spokesperson for South32 told the Catholic News Agency that the matter “is currently being considered by the business,” adding that the company is “unable to comment further at this point in time.”
In July, South32 was ordered to pay out $2.9m (A$4.5m) after an investigation found it was illegally syphoning local supplies of drinking water to use in its facility in Mount Kembla, Australia.
South32 Appin mine workers to continue strike as talks stall
Reuters | August 23, 2023 |
Image courtesy of South32
The Australian trade union said on Thursday workers at South32’s Appin mine failed to reach an agreement with the diversified miner over leave provisions and remuneration.
Supervisors at South32’s Appin coal mine will continue their work strike until at least Sept. 1, the Collieries’ Staff and Officials Association (CSOA) said.
The dispute was about “having a reasonable work-life balance” such as access to leaves and certainty around weekend work, according to the CSOA.
“Despite members attending the meeting in good faith, South32 refused to put forward a fair and decent offer on conditions and wages,” said CSOA lead organiser Belinda Giblin.
South32 had met with mining supervisors and their representatives on Wednesday and outlined some further changes to the offer, the spokesperson said.
“We are disappointed that our offer was not accepted,” the spokesperson added.
Australia’s South32, which had spun off from BHP Group, said it has taken the necessary decision to continue to make parts of the Appin mine non-operational during the strikes.
The company said it will continue to stand down some members of their workforce during the period of industrial action.
“There might be some impact as we move into the development phase, but no material impact as of now,” chief executive officer Graham Kerr said on a call.
“We are very much focussed on trying to resolve this.”
Shares of the miner were down nearly 3% at A$3.6, as of 0132 GMT.
“The ongoing industrial action being undertaken by mining supervisors will impact our ability to supervise our underground workforce and meet our work health and safety obligations,” a company spokesperson told Reuters.
South32 offered marginal changes to rostering, but nothing on the substantive issues of other conditions and remuneration, said a spokesperson for the union.
Workers at the Appin mine have been negotiating with the company for more than eight months, and are now seeking assistance from a government body to resolve the dispute.
They have lodged a bargaining dispute with the Fair Work Commission, which is an Australian industrial relations tribunal.
The trade union on Tuesday notified that it would extend the strike until Sept. 1, while indicating chances of a further extension.
(By Rishav Chatterjee and Sameer Manekar; Editing by Shailesh Kuber, Maju Samuel and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
Reuters | August 23, 2023 |
Image courtesy of South32
The Australian trade union said on Thursday workers at South32’s Appin mine failed to reach an agreement with the diversified miner over leave provisions and remuneration.
Supervisors at South32’s Appin coal mine will continue their work strike until at least Sept. 1, the Collieries’ Staff and Officials Association (CSOA) said.
The dispute was about “having a reasonable work-life balance” such as access to leaves and certainty around weekend work, according to the CSOA.
“Despite members attending the meeting in good faith, South32 refused to put forward a fair and decent offer on conditions and wages,” said CSOA lead organiser Belinda Giblin.
South32 had met with mining supervisors and their representatives on Wednesday and outlined some further changes to the offer, the spokesperson said.
“We are disappointed that our offer was not accepted,” the spokesperson added.
Australia’s South32, which had spun off from BHP Group, said it has taken the necessary decision to continue to make parts of the Appin mine non-operational during the strikes.
The company said it will continue to stand down some members of their workforce during the period of industrial action.
“There might be some impact as we move into the development phase, but no material impact as of now,” chief executive officer Graham Kerr said on a call.
“We are very much focussed on trying to resolve this.”
Shares of the miner were down nearly 3% at A$3.6, as of 0132 GMT.
“The ongoing industrial action being undertaken by mining supervisors will impact our ability to supervise our underground workforce and meet our work health and safety obligations,” a company spokesperson told Reuters.
South32 offered marginal changes to rostering, but nothing on the substantive issues of other conditions and remuneration, said a spokesperson for the union.
Workers at the Appin mine have been negotiating with the company for more than eight months, and are now seeking assistance from a government body to resolve the dispute.
They have lodged a bargaining dispute with the Fair Work Commission, which is an Australian industrial relations tribunal.
The trade union on Tuesday notified that it would extend the strike until Sept. 1, while indicating chances of a further extension.
(By Rishav Chatterjee and Sameer Manekar; Editing by Shailesh Kuber, Maju Samuel and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
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