Xstrata announced last week it would lay off 40 permanent staff and 190 contractors at the longwall operation after opting to close the mine due to a slump in coking coal demand.

 

CFMEU Mining and Energy Division executive vice president Stuart Vaccaneo told International Longwall News that since the announcement the union had been frustrated by Xstrata’s “one-line” answers and had sought details of the redundancies through the AIRC.

 

Both parties walked away from yesterday’s meeting agreeing that no retrenchment notices would be issued prior to January 9, details of a redundancy package would be presented by Xstrata by January 5 and a list of workers wishing to take voluntary redundancies would be presented by the CFMEU to Xstrata by January 2.

 

CFMEU is also meeting with mine workers and management in Tieri between Christmas and the New Year.

 

Xstrata spokesperson James Rickards told ABC News after the meeting that the company had consulted the union and would continue to do so.

 

“It’s just unfortunate that the union for political posturing purposes have wasted everybody’s time in court today,” Rickards said.

 

Vaccaneo said Rickards comments were “appalling and very disappointing”

 

“It shows how out of touch they are with the 230 men who will go home to their families this Christmas, who still , in all likelihood , will lose their jobs,” Vaccaneo said.

 

“They should apologise for trivialising the legitimate concerns of workers to be consulted about their future. This is not about politics this is the future of the workers and their families.”

 

Xstrata and the CFMEU will report back to the AIRC on January 6.