The strike began yesterday after a breakdown in enterprise agreement negotiations between the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and Xstrata.

The strike is the second bout of industrial action taken by workers since a secret ballot in mid-May.

Xstrata told ABC Online it had made a good offer and the strike was part of a broader political campaign by the miners' union.

But union spokesman Grahame Kelly says there now needs to be a compromise to achieve the needs of the business and the needs of union members.

“Our intention now is to show them the workers don't believe it’s good enough and we want them to listen to the complaints,” he said.