Helensburgh miners have secured significant pay increases while defending their job security, in a new enterprise agreement voted up by MEU members at Peabody’s Metropolitan mine yesterday.
Endorsement of the new deal by a strong majority of members ends a six-week dispute at the mine. It addresses workers’ key concerns about protecting job security and winning real pay increases.
The new agreement locks in pay increases of 5% per year over the three-year term of the agreement.
The agreement also maintains job security protections, with a commitment from Peabody to increase the directly employed workforce of the mine to full manning levels before utilising contractors beyond ancillary works. Under this condition, Peabody is required to lift permanent and fixed-term employment this year.
Negotiations between the miners and the US-based multinational broke down on Wednesday, 18 June when Peabody locked Mining and Energy Union members out for three weeks in retaliation for undertaking one-hour work stoppages. In response, MEU members at Metropolitan notified of rolling strike actions and formed a picket at the entrance of the mine, which was lifted upon reaching an in-principle deal.
