PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Diversified miner South32 is not expecting industrial action at its Appin mine, in New South Wales, to impact production.
Members of Collieries Staff and Officials Association at the Appin mine voted to go on strike until August 18 after rejecting a workplace deal with South32 that would have given them a 6.3% pay hike this year, according to a report by the Australian Financial Review.
“We have taken a positive approach throughout the process to date and the offer we have made to our employees is highly competitive. We are disappointed our offer has not been accepted. We have been notified that some of our supervisors are taking industrial action,” a spokesperson for South32 said.
The company said that some parts of its Appin mine would be non-operational during the industrial action by members of the Collieries Staff and Officials Association, saying the industrial action would impact on the company’s ability to supervise its underground workforce and meet its work health and safety obligations.
“Given the critical safety role these supervisors play, and the uncertainty related to the industrial action, we have taken the unfortunate but necessary decision to make some parts of Appin mine non-operational during this time. This will unfortunately mean that Illawarra Metallurgical Coal will have to stand down some members of our workforce during this period of industrial action,” the miner said in a statement to Mining Weekly Online.
“We acknowledge the impact this will have on people and it is unfortunate we have had to make this safety critical decision. Maintaining safe operations is our priority during this time.”