Striking mine supervisors at BHP's Dendrobium mine have criticised the company for its "hard-line approach".
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The 32 supervisors at the Dendrobium mine agreed to take strike action from yesterday until Tuesday morning over a long-running pay dispute.
The mine employs weekday and weekend supervisors and each will strike for one shift over the four days.
The strike comes on top of other ongoing action, including a ban on working non-rostered overtime.
Margaret Buchanan of the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia (APESMA), said the decision to strike came "after five months of BHP not taking their concerns seriously".
"Among supervisors there is a very strong feeling of disappointment in BHP," Ms Buchanan said.
"These hard-working, loyal and local supervisors are very upset by the hard-line approach being directed by BHP's corporate headquarters in Brisbane.
"Dendrobium supervisors just want a fair go and to talk this through like adults.
"Instead, BHP wants supervisors to agree to something that would see half of them not get an extra cent [without working overtime] and that would lock them in to no guaranteed annual increases for four years."
She said the supervisors would meet on Monday to determine their next step in the dispute.
"We always remain hopeful that BHP will come back to the negotiating table," she said.
"The ball is now in their court, so it is up to them what happens next.
"If BHP is genuinely concerned about mine safety and providing certainty for the mine, the best thing it could do would be to come back to the negotiating table in good faith."
A BHP Billiton spokesman said the mine would be operating throughout the strike and there were no safety concerns related to the supervisors' absence.
"Safety is the over-riding priority so the company will continue to assess its options to ensure ongoing safe and efficient operations," the spokesman said.
He disputed APESMA's claims about the mine supervisors' lower base salaries, saying they were paid in line with the average for mining supervisors in NSW.
