The series of lockouts at the Port Kembla Coal Terminal are among the worst in the country, according to ACTU secretary Sally McManus.
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The union leader was in Port Kembla on Wednesday to speak with the workers, who were locked out for the fourth consecutive time on Monday.
Ms McManus said lockouts weren't unusual on the Australian industrial landscape.
"Unfortunately over the last two years there's been a few lockouts that have been quite serious," Ms McManus said.
"There was one up in Queensland that went on for over a year, but this one is now coming in second place, which is a terrible thing.
Read more: Federal, state MPs weigh into PKCT dispute
"Lockouts are an awful thing for any company to do to a community and they should be condemned for it. We ask that company to immediately have the workers back at work."
Due to a combination of lockouts and strike action, the workers have not been inside the terminal since January 18.
The latest lockout will end on March 25 - just five days before the workers' enterprise agreement expires.
But Ms McManus did not want the company to wait that long.
"We want this dispute to finish now," Ms McManus said.
Read more: Explaining the coal terminal dispute
"It's not right that families are suffering because multinationals, big companies, are locking workers out.
"Locking workers out is something that doesn't happen very often around the world. The reason we're seeing it here in Australia is because our laws allow them to do it."
The coal terminal dispute has become a national issue; as well as Ms McManus' visit, Labor's Workplace Relations minister Brendan O'Connor came to Port Kembla to call for PKCT to end the dispute.
Ms McManus threatened the coal mining companies that jointly own the coal terminal would become the "poster children" for the union movement's campaign leading into the upcoming federal election.
The lockouts were part of the PKCT "game plan", Ms McManus said and added, it would be a mistake for the terminal to continue locking out workers until the March 29 deadline arrived.
"This issue will not go away until its resolved fairly," she said. "As a trade union movement, we will fight as long as it takes."
A PKCT spokeswoman said the company continued to meet with the CFMEU in the Fair Work Commission.
"PKCT is committed to working with the union and bargaining representatives to reach agreement," the spokeswoman said.
"PKCT is hopeful that a resolution to the dispute can be achieved, in order to move forward and continue to build a sustainable operation."