Union members have started a campaign of industrial action at the Port Kembla Coal Terminal (PKCT) which will peak with full strike action on and after Christmas Day.
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The industrial action comes amid enterprise agreement (EA) negotiations, after PKCT applied to terminate the existing EA.
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union says PKCT took the action after the company’s offer had been voted down only once.
CFMEU district vice-president Bob Timbs said PKCT’s offer would leave out 20 per cent of the workforce and could have been “drafted at the mad hatter’s tea party”.
“We have been negotiating for 3 years with PKCT for a replacement enterprise agreement,” he said. “In that period PKCT have systematically attacked the coverage, conditions and remuneration provided for in the current enterprise agreement.
PKCT cannot afford any disruption to its operation.
- John Gorman, PKCT
“Enough is enough. The workers at PKCT have patiently and in good faith worked toward a solution for three years. They are not seeking big pay rises, they are just drawing a line in the sand and saying no to the ongoing erosion of working rights and conditions.”
The coal terminal’s operations manager John Gorman fired back, saying the terminal’s survival was “at risk”.
“There is so much at stake for the Port Kembla Coal Terminal - no one wins when industrial action is taken,” he said.
“PKCT cannot afford any disruption to its operation. The ongoing sustainability of PKCT’s business is at risk.
“Agreement on the EA must be reached immediately to ensure that PKCT can operate and deliver essential export services to the coal industry in New South Wales.”
The action was to start overnight with partial and full bans on work. Full bans start at 7am on Christmas Day, all of Boxing Day, and some of the next two days.
