News

This week local Appin contractors will protest the ongoing wage cuts by ruthless labour hire company Mastermyne who will once again attempt to undercut workers’ pay in the South West region, adding to the tally of cuts of around 40 percent in the last two years.

CFMEU Mining & Energy Division South West District Vice-President, Bob Timbs said the union is calling on mine operator South 32 to fulfil its duty of corporate responsibility and negotiate a fair deal for local contract mine workers.

Today the CFMEU Mining and Energy Division will hold meetings with Anglo American over 33 permanent local workers from the German Creek mine having been made forcibly redundant since Friday afternoon, in a move by the company to cut permanent jobs and maintain labour hire contractors.

The dismissal notices were emailed to the shocked workers.

CFMEU M&E Queensland District President, Stephen Smyth said the company is clearly trying to pick off union members following an ongoing industrial battle over rights and conditions at the mine.

Today the CFMEU Mining and Energy Division said energy company AGL has stooped to new lows in an attempt to discredit the current Enterprise Agreement at the Loy Yang power plant by claiming it blocks redeployment of Hazelwood workers.

CFMEU M&E Victorian District Secretary, Geoff Dyke said the company has not consulted with the union about its intentions to engage Hazelwood employees at the Loy Yang plant, and are attempting to cynically exploit the workers’ predicament in an attempt to discredit an agreement they want to terminate.

November 14 marks the 20th anniversary of the 1996 Gretley disaster, when 4 mineworkers tragically lost their lives.

For this significant anniversary, this year's NSW Northern Memorial Day paid a special tribute to the four. Northern District President Peter Jordan reflected on the tragic loss of the Gretley miners Edward Batterham, Mark Kaiser, John Hunter and Damon Murray who were killed on 14 November 1996, when they unknowingly dug into an older flooded mine, causing an inrush of water that swept them to their deaths.

Workers in Australia have spent decades being restructured. It may be inevitable, but they haven’t been happy about it. Especially about the way it’s been done – generally without justice or fair burden sharing.

General President Tony Maher was recently in Canberra to address the ACTU's international conference on Just Transition. He spoke about what a Just Transition really means for workers and their communities.

Read his speech

By Barry Swan, former Miners Federation General Secretary

A moving memorial service to mark the 50th anniversary of the four Miners Federation members who lost their lives on the 9th of November 1965 in the Bulli Mine fire was held at St. Augustine’s Church Bulli on Monday November 9th 2015.

The families of the deceased miners Fred Hunt, Harry Smith, Jack Murray and Bob Stewart were joined at the commemoration service by over 200 people, including 50 students from four local schools, along with friends and former workmates in an extremely emotional event.

‘Kill a worker, go to jail’: CFMEU calls for tougher laws as Anglo Coal pleads guilty for miner’s death.

The CFMEU Mining and Energy Division is today calling for tough new laws to punish employers found guilty of fatal negligence, following reports Anglo Coal has pleaded guilty to the death of Paul McGuire at its Grasstree mine.

CFMEU M&E Queensland District President, Stephen Smyth said the deal offered to Anglo Coal is clear evidence of the disgraceful system where employers get away with cutting corners at the expense of workers’ safety.