Queensland Coal Workers Turn Backs on Union

Oct. 22, 2012 - PRLog -- After nearly two years of grueling negotiations, BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance's (BMA) Bowen Basin workers have approved the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) which caused strike action and resulted in the miner declaring force majeure earlier in the year.

A ballot undertaken over the past week at the company's five Queensland coking coal mines returned a 60% "yes" vote from BMA workers.

In a win for the union, critical safety officer positions at mine sites will remain union-appointed rather than company-appointed which BMA was pushing for. The issue was a key sticking point in the negotiations.

"This deal maintains important protections and moderates the most extreme elements of BHP's agenda," CFMEU district president Stephen Smyth said.

BMA spokesperson Stephen Dumble said the company welcomed the support for the agreement by its workforce, but described the two year negotiation process as protracted and difficult.

The agreement still requires the endorsement of the industrial umpire Fair Work Australia as part of the normal legal process however this should be a formality.

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