Five hundred BHP coal workers in Queensland were due to start a five day strike on

Monday as negotiations over a new pay deal continue to deteriorate.

Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union central Queensland officer Ray

Barker said late last week that the Crinum and Gregory mine workers and workers at

the Hay Point bulk loading facility would strike from 6am Monday until 7am the

following Saturday.

And the strike action could spread interstate with union delegates from BHP's five

coal operations in New South Wales due to meet in Wollongong on Monday.

Barker said BHP had offered mine workers a 13.5% pay rise but it had many strings

attatched.

"Our costing boils down to miners being offered a net rise of 2.8% a year over two

years and for engineers, it is minus 1.5%.

"No wonder our members are angry," Barker said.

The strike decision was made by union representatives meeting in Mackay, he said.

A BHP spokesman told AAP Gregory, Crinum and Hay Point were the

company's three coal operations in Queensland negotiating new workplace

agreements.

Agreements at the company's other six Queensland mines were not up for negotiation,

he said.

BHP Queensland Coal president Rick Gazzard said the company had attempted to

negotiate in good faith.

He said BHP had applied to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission to

terminate the current agreements after negotiations broke down.