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Miners locked out of work over pay dispute
Miners locked out of work over pay dispute

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Miners locked out of work over pay dispute

About 160 coal miners have been locked out of work for more than one week without pay over a bargaining dispute with their employer. The Mining and Energy Union (MEU) allege US-owned Peabody Energy retaliated after union members at the Helensburg coal mine near Wollongong in NSW stopped work for one hour in response to a 'lack of progress in negotiations.' The union was advised its members would be locked out without pay for eight days from Wednesday less than two hours after a meeting with the Fair Work Commission over the dispute. Miners asked for three pay increases of 5 per cent over a three-year period and an extra $1.50 added to their hourly rate, after miners were allegedly told they would be looked after when they received a low increase under their last agreement. MEU South West District vice president Mark Jenkins said Peabody's lockout was a harsh response aimed at coercing MEU members into giving up their bargaining position. Mr Jenkins said workers had experienced several years of low wage growth compared to high inflation and cost of living pressures, but had continually set production records at the mine for their employer. 'Now, they deserve to see some of the benefit that they were promised in the last agreement,' he said. 'Peabody's move to lock out MEU members for over a week is nothing but an attempt to punish and intimidate workers for exercising their industrial rights.' Peabody Energy have been contacted for comment, but they told the ABC the company implemented employer response action from Wednesday until next Thursday. 'Peabody remains committed to the bargaining process and will continue to negotiate in good faith toward a new enterprise agreement,' a spokesman told the ABC. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data

Peabody coal mine workers locked out in wages dispute
Peabody coal mine workers locked out in wages dispute

ABC News

time9 hours ago

  • Business
  • ABC News

Peabody coal mine workers locked out in wages dispute

Workers from an underground New South Wales coal mine are facing a lockout after taking limited industrial action over wage negotiations. About 160 permanent employees were locked out without pay from Wednesday this week to Thursday next week at the Metropolitan Mine in Helensburgh. The Mining and Energy Union said it would lodge a claim for a 15 per cent wage increase over three years, a one-off market rate increase of $1.50 per hour, plus a $4 increase to crib payments. The president of the union's NSW South West District, Mark Jenkins, said mine owner Peabody was punishing workers for exercising their industrial rights as they sought to negotiate a new enterprise agreement. "The workers enacted their industrial right and took some limited one-hour stoppages across their shifts," he said. Mr Jenkins said there was no warning. "We went into a bargaining meeting with the company on the day of the lockout and found out probably about an hour and 45 minutes after the bargaining meeting that the lockout was taking place," Mr Jenkins said. A Peabody spokesperson said Metropolitan Mine acknowledged that employees had engaged in industrial action, and the union had notified the company of further industrial action to come. "In response, Peabody implemented employer response action, with a lockout of employees commencing night shift Wednesday, 18 June and continuing until day shift Thursday, 26 June," the spokesperson said. The action follows a Federal Court decision last year ruling that 22 Peabody Energy crew members unjustly lost their jobs before being replaced by external contractors at the same mine in June 2020. The court found that replacing full-time employees with labour hire did not constitute "genuine redundancies". The lockout comes at a time when the nearby Tahmoor mine is also under pressure, but for a different reason, as the mine hasn't mined coal since February due to unpaid bills. About 560 mineworkers are still being paid but have been stripped of their regular bonuses. They are increasingly anxious about whether the mine, owned by British industrialist Sanjeev Gupta, and linked to the Whyalla steelworks, will reopen. Independent Member for Wollondilly Judy Hannan said this week the state government was monitoring and negotiating with the mine's owner GFG Alliance. The union has called for the state government to intervene.

DHL Express Canada to suspend operations with 2,100 workers involved in strike, lockout
DHL Express Canada to suspend operations with 2,100 workers involved in strike, lockout

Globe and Mail

time3 days ago

  • Business
  • Globe and Mail

DHL Express Canada to suspend operations with 2,100 workers involved in strike, lockout

DHL Express Canada DHL-NE plans to shut down operations across the country this week amid a strike and lockout involving 2,100 truck drivers and other workers, adding to turmoil in the parcel market. With the two sides at an impasse, the company said it will halt thousands of daily deliveries starting Friday – the same day that federal legislation banning replacement workers takes full effect. DHL will stop receiving inbound packages to Canada from abroad on Tuesday at 9 p.m., DHL said in an e-mail. Spokeswoman Pamela Duque Rai pointed to stalled negotiations with Unifor and the legislation known as Bill C-58, 'which prohibits the use of replacement workers during industrial action,' she noted. On June 8, the German-owned carrier said it was rolling out a 'contingency plan' that allowed it to keep serving its more than 50,000 customers, which range from retailer Lululemon to e-commerce giants Shein and Temu. Duque Rai had said in an e-mail at the time that DHL did not expect 'significant disruptions' to its service. Unifor, which represents DHL truck drivers, couriers and warehouse and call centre employees, had warned against any steps to supplant unionized workers with temporary ones, with president Lana Payne saying the move would impose a chill on contract talks. Last Friday, Unifor's bargaining committee said it had met with DHL Express Canada CEO Geoff Walsh, who stressed the possibility of a halt the following week. 'We will not be intimidated by the company's threats to disrupt service or shut down operations,' the committee said in a June 13 bulletin to members. The upcoming pause adds to the labour tumult in the parcel sector, as Canada Post remains at loggerheads with 55,000 workers amid strained negotiations and an overtime ban imposed by the union last month. Canada is not the only country struggling with falling mail volumes – a key factor in the impasse between the two sides – and DHL is among those feeling the pinch. In March it announced plans to cut 8,000 jobs in Germany this year, marking the largest set of layoffs in its home market in decades. Back in Canada, Duque Rai sought to frame the union's proposals as unreasonable. 'While we are committed to fair compensation for our employees, our position is that Unifor's demands – a 22 per cent salary increase for hourly employees, as well as a 42 per cent salary increase for owner-operators – do not reflect the current economic landscape and would jeopardize our operational viability,' she said. Payne said DHL has been seeking concessions since negotiations kicked off nearly a year ago. She highlighted a push by the company to change the pay model for owner-operators – roughly 500 independent contractors drive for DHL and also have union membership – in a way she claimed would reduce their compensation, not boost it. 'What we've seen over many months of bargaining are what I would say is an attempt to divide workers in classifications, pit one group against another, pit one region against another,' Payne said in a phone interview on June 8. A group of employers expressed concerns Tuesday about the effect of legislation passed under the previous Liberal government to ban replacement workers in federally regulated workplaces, pointing to DHL as the latest example of potential disruption. 'Canadians should prepare for more frequent and prolonged work stoppages that can impact supply chains, critical infrastructure and the broader economy,' said Daniel Safayeni, CEO of Federally Regulated Employers – Transportation and Communications, in a statement. The group called for a more 'balanced labour relations framework.' In contrast, labour groups have decried federal intervention in labour disputes over the past year, including strikes by railworkers, B.C. dockworkers and WestJet mechanics. Unifor has said its bargaining priorities with DHL revolve around wages, working conditions and surveillance and automation in the workplace.

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