Workers at the mine were locked out of the South32 mine on July 20 after taking protected action opposing what the Collieries Staff & Officials Association (CSOA) said was a request to work an extra four unpaid hours each week.

The company said it was “disappointed” to have to initiate the lockout, which it has extended by seven days from July 30 to August 6.

CSOA senior industrial officer Kylie Rooke said if the company couldn’t pay workers for those extra four hours, then it shouldn’t pay executive bonuses either.

“The cash on non-monetary benefits paid to the CEO alone last financial year were enough to pay every single supervisor at the mine the four extra hours, for the entire year,” Ms Rooke said.

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Ms Rooke said South32 documents showed some executive bonuses were over the million-dollar mark.

“If the company is crying poor then surely they can’t afford to pay these exorbitant bonuses, cash and other benefits to fat cat executives,” Ms Rooke said.

“While they want their supervisors to work four extra hours per week for free, they have no problem dishing out huge salaries and extra benefits to their executives.”

A spokesman for South32 said the company’s offer did not include workers being required to work four extra unpaid hours.

“The offer is clear in that it remunerates deputies for 45 hours per week, with their roster requiring them to work four 10-hour shifts per week,” the spokesman said.

“A shift change in 2017 amended rosters from nine-hour shifts to 10-hour shifts, but total hours remain within the 45 hours per week.”