South32 strike action leads company to stand down workers who are not on strike

Members of the Collieries Staff and Officials Association (CSOA) are taking on strike action after the company said no to work-life balance provisions such as leave around Christmas and holidays being included in a new workplace agreement, as well as a bonus for increased production.

The union represents supervisors who have health and safety obligations underground, so South32 said it had no choice but to shut some parts of the mine during the strike.

It is not clear yet how many workers would be stood down but South32 said it did not expect production to be impacted by the action.

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CSOA lead organiser Belinda Giblin said workers were fed up with South32's negotiating tactics, which included leaving key conditions outside the workplace agreement, which would mean they could be changed at any time.

"Mine supervisors ... will walk off the job as part of industrial action in response to the company's failure to offer workers a fair deal on basic conditions, like access to time off on public holidays and access to annual leave at key times of the year such as Christmas and other holiday periods," Ms Giblin said.

"This is about workers having a reasonable work/life balance where they can spend time with their families, take the kids on holidays, or care for sick relatives.

"We are simply seeking to have those arrangements - which South32 says they are committed to - brought into the workplace agreement so they are guaranteed and can be enforced."

South32 said said the offer management made to workers was "extremely competitive" and included a 6.3 per cent pay rise.

"Our underground mining supervisors play a vital role in the continued safe operation of Appin mine through supervision of workers and statutory inspections that ensure work health and safety compliance," a company spokesman said.

"This industrial action will impact our ability to supervise our underground workforce and meet our work health and safety obligations.

"Given the critical safety role these supervisors play, and the uncertainty related to the industrial action, we have taken the unfortunate but necessary decision to make some parts of Appin Mine non-operational during this time.

"This will unfortunately mean that [Illawarra Metallurgical Coal] will have to stand down some members of our workforce during this period of industrial action.

"We acknowledge the impact this will have on people and it is unfortunate we have had to make this safety-critical decision."

He did not answer how many workers would be stood down.

Ms Giblin said the miners are also seeking a production bonus in a year when the mine's profitability skyrocketed to USD $1.38 billion, off the back of a financial loss the previous year.

"The CEO is on AUD $4.3 million a year, and the Chief Operations Officer makes around AUD $2 million, which is the equivalent of almost half the total salaries of the entire 85-person workforce.

"These exorbitant salaries are justified on the basis of good outcomes for shareholders.

"Well, those outcomes come on the back of good planning by workers to keep the development and production pipeline in sync, plus old-fashioned hard work to get the job done.

""These are all extremely reasonable, common-sense demands, and we will fight for these basic workplace rights."