Miners national strike threat

The mining union has postponed a decision on strike action 
ahead of a meeting between the NSW Government, coal companies and 
the union convened by the NSW Industrial Relations Commission. 
The Mining Division of the CFMEU is threatening a national strike 
as part of an industrial campaign to stop the further erosion of 
safety standards in the coal industry.

The campaign is in response to the continuing deregulation of 
safety standards and practices in the coal industry by the New 
South Wales and Queensland Governments and the incompetence of 
their Departments of Mines in administering existing provisions.

General President of the Mining Division of the CFMEU, Tony 
Maher, said that this had led to the union suing the Queensland 
Government over non-compliance of its own regulations.

In NSW, the straw that broke the camel's back has been the State 
Government' s bungling of prosecutions in the Gretley case in 
which Workcover brought 52 charges against the mine's owners and 
senior management for safety breaches that led to the deaths of 
four mineworkers seven years ago.

"However", said Tony Maher, "because of a government stuff-up the 
company, Xstrata, has applied to have the prosecutions dismissed 
on a technicality because the wrong Minister signed the 
authorisation for the Workcover case.

"This technical bombshell was dropped on Tuesday [November 18] 
and the NSW Government has had since then to correct its mistake 
through retrospective legislation and get on with the 
prosecutions. However, it has refused to do so, instead choosing 
to gamble on the presiding Judge dismissing the company 's 
application.

"This is a disgrace. It is seven years this month since the 
Gretley men were killed in appalling circumstances. They should 
be alive today with their families and yet those who were 
responsible might walk away because of a State Government stuff-
up".

Tony Maher said that the State Government's refusal to fix its 
Gretley bungle is indicative of the Department of Mineral 
Resources attitude to mineworkers' safety. "Mineworkers lives and 
safety considerations are playing second fiddle to the employer 
demands for greater deregulation in the name of increased 
flexibility".

The same situation exists in Queensland where, if employers claim 
that safety practices are hampering their production targets, 
they simply apply for exemptions and they are getting them in 
record numbers.

Coal mining is recognised as the most hazardous industry in the 
world. There are Memorial Walls throughout Australia recording 
the names of more than 4000 coal miners who have been killed at 
work. "Today, we continue to send thousands of workers every day 
into coal mines and the very least we demand of our governments 
and the departmental bureaucrats who serve them, is that we work 
in the safest possible environments so our members can return to 
their families at the end of each shift", said Mr Maher.

"Unless we receive a public commitment from the NSW and 
Queensland governments to improve mine safety and improve 
prosecutions, then we have no option than to commence a national 
campaign of action.

"If we don't act now, we will be counting the cost in lost lives 
and injuries and we are not prepared to wait to act until the 
coal mines are turned into industrial killing fields".

While NSW and Queensland produce more than 90 percent of 
Australia's coal, the union is also examining the safety 
situation in Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania to 
determine whether members in those States should be involved in 
the national stoppage.