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Vol. 74/No. 31      August 16, 2010

 
Coal miners in Australia strike
 
BY LINDA HARRIS  
TAHMOOR, Australia—Coal miners at the Tahmoor Colliery are waging a determined fight to defend their union and working conditions. More than 230 members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) set up a picket camp outside the underground mine entrance July 9.

Workers are taking strike action to win a new contract with international mining company Xstrata. Negotiations have been going on for 20 months.

“Our fight is about safety conditions and job security,” said Tahmoor Lodge president Chris Cumming. Xstrata wants to reduce crew sizes, be able to change workers’ shifts, and extend the workday as they see fit, said Cumming.

“They want total control over us,” said Ian Timbs, who has worked at the mine in southeast Australia near Sydney for 23 years. In February, when miners rejected the company’s proposal, they locked out workers for a week.

Wives and families of miners have helped staff the picket line. The workers have received support from CFMEU mines in the district and the South Coast Labour Council. Members of the fire brigade union and a busload of Maritime Union members from nearby Port Kembla have visited the picket line.
 
 
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