Appin mine workers slam 'no deal' from South32 and stay on strike until September 1

Leaders of the Collieries' Staff and Officials Association (CSOA) have been on strike since Friday, August 11, and say the company is still refusing to include work-life balance elements in a new workplace agreement.

The union will again meet with mine management on Wednesday, the day before South32 reports its annual financial results.

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They are expected to show coal output and income from sales booming, leading the union to call for production bonuses for its members.

The main issue throughout the industrial action has been certainty over holiday leave and weekend rostering, which South32 has declined to include as part of the workplace agreement, CSOA lead organiser Belinda Giblin said.

The company has said there were already adequate provisions to book leave.

"Our aim is to reach an agreement that supports our workforce and enables our operation to remain safe, reliable, and sustainable throughout the commodity price cycle," a South32 spokesman said.

"We have committed to continue discussions in an effort to reach agreement."

The CSOA said the offer had not been good enough.

"Mine supervisors have demonstrated their commitment to ensuring that their industrial action gets a result by voting to extend their current work stoppage, which was due to end on August 25, a further week, until September 1," Ms Gilblin said.

"To date, South32 has not come back with a formal offer that addresses any of our concerns.

"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."

When the strike started South32 had to close some sections of the Appin mine because the striking workers have statutory safety responsibilities for work to be able to take place underground.

South32 would not say how many workers it had stood down.

A South32 spokesman said when the strike began that on several public holidays the mine did not run at full production and operated with minimum resources.

"In these circumstances, supervisors may not be required to work on a rostered shift that is a public holiday," he said.

"Supervisors may apply to take leave at all times during the year. Approval is subject to ensuring minimum resourcing and supervision requirements can be met.

"Supervisors that do work on a public holiday receive significant notice in advance and penalty rates on top of their base salaries."