GlencoreXstrata coal mine in Collinsville facing industrial dispute
Wednesday 4 September 2013 @ 12.47 p.m. | Industrial Law
The ABC has reported that Swiss mining giant GlencoreXstrata (Glencore) is gearing up for a potentially bitter industrial clash reminiscent of the ‘90s docks dispute at its Collinsville mine in Queensland. The company is at loggerheads with unions over planned changes to workplace agreements at the coal mine, located 1200 Km north of Brisbane.
Glencore has dismissed Thiess, the mine's long-running operating contractor, and plans to move mining operations in-house with a view to improving mine profitability. It has been reported that as of last week workers would be locked out and operations suspended while the mine is re-engineered with new technology intended to make the mine more productive.
However the company is also claiming it will only reopen under a new collective agreement or individual contracts that feature more flexible working conditions.
Causing significant concern among the central Queensland community is Glencore’s refusal to give preference of employment to the current workforce, which has operated the mine under a contractor for 17 years. Fear exists that the existing workforce will be replaced by non-union workers from other areas.
Steve Smyth from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CMFEU) has claimed that the company wants to de-unionise the labour force.
"Obvious parallels to what happened with Patricks on the waterfront, with the replacement workforce...The view there was to replace the unionised workers on the docks, and we've got the similar situation here where we've got Glencore who want to bring in replacement workforce, and on the back of that, bring them in on an agreement which offers less."
Glencore has proposed a so-called ‘greenfields’ site deal at the Collinsville mine, a type of enterprise agreement that ordinarily only relates to new ventures, rather then for transitional arrangements.
He says Glencore does not have the right to put in place a greenfield agreement.
"The law is quite clear is that it's a transmission of business, which means transmission of the industrial arrangements go across, and any employee going across would be picked up on those transitional arrangements...The industrial regulation at the mine will not be a matter of your preference. It is a matter of law and the law provides that the current agreement will apply”.
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