US coal giant Peabody has locked out miners for over a week at their Metropolitan Mine near Helensburgh, in retaliation for union action that stopped work for a single hour.
Earlier this week, Mining and Energy Union members at the South Coast mine engaged in one hour shift stoppages in response to Peabody's lack of progress in negotiations, which also include a blatant attack on job security.
In retaliation, Peabody has notified Mining and Energy Union members that they will be locked out without pay from 5:30pm on Wednesday, 18 June until 5:30am on Thursday, 26 June.
Mark Jenkins, Vice President of the MEU South West District, said that Peabody's lockout is a harsh response aimed at coercing MEU members into giving up their bargaining position.
"Peabody's move to lock out MEU members for over a week is nothing but an attempt to punish and intimidate workers for exercising their industrial rights.
"Through several years of low wage growth compared to high inflation and cost of living pressures, workers at Helensburgh have been continually setting production records at the mine for their employer. Now, they deserve to see some of the benefit that they were promised in the last agreement."
Peabody's decision is particularly disappointing as the lockout notice came less than two hours after a Fair Work Commission-facilitated conciliation meeting on the dispute, which was attended MEU representatives in good faith.
"That well-resourced multinational employers are able to deny workers a full week's wages in retaliation for comparatively minor industrial action is an indictment of the disproportionality available to employers under the current laws.
"Peabody needs to drop the Trump-style bullying tactics and engage constructively with MEU members demands.
"Helensburgh miners aren't intimidated by Peabody's heavy-handed strategy; it has only strengthened their resolve to secure a better deal for their families and workmates."
