Bloomfield Group has locked out its Rix's Creek workforce in what the Mining and Energy Union has condemned as a "emotional overreaction" to being told no.
The company's lockout comes less than two weeks after workers overwhelmingly rejected Bloomfield's backwards enterprise agreement, with 92.6% voting it down.
When the parties met last week, the union brought a revised position in an effort to resolve the dispute. Bloomfield refused to shift on a single point.
"This lockout isn't anything but Bloomfield's hurt pride." said MEU Rix's Creek Lodge President Mitchell Hill. "Our members came to the table prepared to negotiate, but Bloomfield's response was to slam the door shut and lock them out."
Mr Hill said the company's conduct shows it is driven by emotion rather than reason.
"Instead of a considered response after their agreement went down in flames, Bloomfield has doubled down. They've taken it personally. They've decided to punish the workforce for daring to reject a bad deal."
"It's the same 'starve them out' strategy we've seen from day one. But these miners won't be bullied, they'll stand as long as it takes to get a fair deal." said Mr Hill.
The Union has called on Bloomfield to lift the lockout and return to the bargaining table with a genuine offer that respects the workforce who've built their business.
