BY JOANNE KUNIANSKY
SYDNEY - On September 8 coal miners at RTZ-CRA (Rio Tinto's) Hunter Valley #1 mine resumed strike action after the company suspended two workers for refusing to transfer from their usual jobs to work in the coal preparation plant as directed by management. The strike resumed two days before the end of a seven week negotiation period which had not resolved the conflict.

Formerly known as CRA, Rio Tinto has a union busting record. Since 1993 Rio Tinto has campaigned to have all employees on nonunion individual contracts, and has successfully eroded union coverage at its vast iron ore, diamond, gold, bauxite, and aluminum smelting interests.

The strike at Hunter Valley #1 mine is the company's opening shot in their war to break the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) in the coal industry. Rio Tinto has made clear its goal to wrest back union-controlled seniority and work practices at the mine. Only seven union members there have signed non-union individual contracts. The remaining 430 miners have no intention of giving up hard won gains.

On September 15 Rio Tinto charged the miners with sabotage, intimidation, and physical obstruction as the company initiated legal action to attempt to remove pickets from blocking the export of coal. The CFMEU responded by threatening to widen strike action beyond the Hunter Valley #1 mine if the company pursued legal action.

On September 16, after a two-hour stand-off, 300 striking miners, their wives and children cheered after succeeding for the fourth time in the past few months in blocking a coal train from entering the mine site. The train driver refused to cross the picket line for safety reasons even though he was under pressure from FreightCorp management and the local Police Commander, Mike Sullivan who accompanied him in the locomotive's cab.

The New South Wales (NSW) state Labor government intervened September 18, urging the Industrial Relations Commission to arbitrate a settlement because of damage to the state economy. NSW premier Robert Carr said, "There's no doubt in my mind that this dispute has been brought on by an aggressive, confrontationalist company that's seeking to rewrite the rules and to deny workers' basic rights."

The CFMEU and the ACTU president, Jennie George called instead for "consent arbitration" that would permit the union to continue legal strike action while a settlement was reached in the commission.

The Federal government's legal counsel, Steven Amendola, told the commission that the two warring sides were meant to "battle it out" and the commission should not intervene. Subsequently, on September 19, Justice Alan Boulton ruled that the commission would not intervene "at this stage."

Federal Minister for Workplace Relations Peter Reith urged the company to use the full weight of the new federal antiunion Workplace Relations Act to sue the miners union for damages. He also urged other companies that might be caught in sympathy strikes to use sections of the law enabling them to sue for damages after interference with trade. He said on Meet the Press, "There is a very strong law there to be used and we would expect the parties to use it."

The mood at the picket lines is one of determination. Nathan Thomson, one of the strikers reported that faxes arrive every day supporting their fight. He said, "More and more people realize that this fight is not just for Hunter Valley #1 miners but for everyone in Australia's rights. With Reith and Howard's new laws the awards don't mean anything and we all have to fight," Thomson said, referring to the workplace relations minister and to Prime Minister John Howard.

The CFMEU organized a protest on October 1 in Sydney to support the Hunter Valley #1 miners. Striking miners' wives have organized a family support group. Jackie Evans, who is active in the group, said they were organizing a busload of miner's wives and children to protest at Rio Tinto's offices in Sydney on October 1. Afterwards CFMEU miners and construction workers marchedn on Howard's Sydney office. "What we are trying to make people understand is that this strike has nothing to do with money. The issue is seniority, safety and the right to a union," Evans said. "Morale is high on the picket line. If we lose where will our kids be in the future?"

Joanne Kuniansky is a member of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union.  
 
 
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