Thu, 26 Nov 2009 9:29p.m.
Workers at Solid Energy's South Island coal mines have again gone on strike in support of their North Island colleagues.
Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) members at the Stockton mine, north of Westport, tonight voted to go on strike in support of Huntly East mine workers.
About 180 workers at Rotowaro, also near Huntly, have already gone on strike in support of Huntly, as industrial action, which started over a month ago, continues.
However, the other South Island mine workers, from the Spring Creek mine, near Greymouth, put off their vote, probably until next week, a union official said.
Negotiations resumed and all four mines had returned to work at the weekend, following about a month of industrial action, but the Huntly negotiations again broke down.
Solid Energy says strikes at the four mines cost it $10 million a week in lost revenue.
Chief operating officer Barry Bragg has accused the union of being greedy in demands for 13.5 pay increase for the Huntly East miners.
If they accepted an 8.5 percent increase, it would take their base pay rate from $78,832 to $85,600, he said.
The 1 20 striking coal miners and maintenance staff also put the viability of the mine at risk, he said.
However, the EPMU said the Huntly East dispute revolved Solid Energy's plan to reduce miners' hours but not compensate them for the loss of income, said EPMU national secretary Andrew Little. Solid Energy needed to "calm down and come back to the table in good faith," he said.
NZPA
