Tuesday, 21 Jun 2011
Reuters reported that a strike at some of Australia biggest coal mines appeared less likely on Monday after union negotiators said a first round of labour talks with BHP Billiton and Mitsubishi ended on a progressive note.
Mr Steve Smyth Queensland president of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union said "It's been made clear that both sides want to talk, and that is good for everyone involved."
He said that "Today's discussions were progressive."
Union workers last week held work-stop meetings at six of the seven collieries operated by the BHP Billiton-Mitsubishi Alliance but stopped short of calling for a strike vote. There are around 3,500 union workers at BMA's mines, less than half the total workforce.
Mr Smyth said Monday's discussions focused on how equipment at the mines is handled by union staff and would be followed on Tuesday by issues around use of non-union workers and wages.
Queensland state lost up to 30 million tonnes of coal production when monsoon rains and a cyclone battered the eastern seaboard between November and February and producers have been struggling to keep pace with demand. (sourced from Reuters)
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