Along with the Rotowaro and Spring Creek operations, all of Solid’s four key mines returned to work on the weekend of November 21, but now only Spring Creek remains in production.

 

Workers at Rotowaro and Huntly East were the first to go back on strike, right after the weekend, rejecting Solid’s offer for a new multi-employer collective agreement.

 

Stockton workers went back on strike Friday after meeting Thursday night.

 

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national secretary Andrew Little told International Longwall News that Spring Creek workers would not reconsider their position until a meeting on Tuesday.

 

While Solid is concerned the strikes will trigger mine closures, Little does not share this view.

 

“We think it’s unlikely,” he said.

 

“Demand for both Huntly and west coast coal [Stockton and Spring Creek] is still good and these are all productive and viable mines.”

 

But he does think the union is closer to a new MECA with Solid.

 

“We have fixed issues at three of the four minesites. We are down to one, albeit major, issue at Huntly East. I am confident that with a will on both sides we can fix the dispute.”

 

Solid is negotiating to move Huntly East miners onto a 10-hour shift and to keep the existing 12-hour shift for maintenance teams.

 

“Huntly East mine has no future unless there are improvements to productivity and clearly we are not going to achieve that by staff working fewer hours,” the producer said.

 

Solid said its 63-day, 10-hour shift roster (630 hours) would result in a 6.5% pay increase compared to an 80-day, eight-hour shift roster (640 hours).

 

EPMU said members were unhappy with the roster changes, saying Solid was not providing adequate compensation.