Mining and Heavy Industries, Staffing, Recruitment & Training

CFMEU accuses Anglo of targeting members in job cuts

Coal. Photo: Shutterstock

Anglo American cutting jobs at its German Creek coal mine in Queensland, after receiving permission from the Fair Work Commission following serious strike action from unionised workers at the site.

Workers at German Creek have been undertaking strike action, led by the CFMEU, for more than 100 days, as a result of Anglo’s plans to improve operational efficiency.

CFMEU members were striking with the aim of improving job security conditions, but last Friday the FWC approved a redundancy campaign, which according to the union has resulted in 33 permanent local workers getting the axe.

“Out of 33 permanent local workers, 32 of those are workers who had been on strike,” CFMEU’s mining and energy Queensland president Stephen Smyth said.

“Anglo cannot tell us this isn’t an exercise to pick off workers who only wanted certainty over job security.”

Smyth says Anglo has told its labour hire and contract employees that they will not be the focus of this round of redundancies.

“This attack on workers will affect dozens of families and is a blow to the local community.

“What’s happening at German Creek is a symptom of what’s happening across the mining sector in its worst form: the company delayed the bargaining process for over two years, refused to negotiate fair working conditions, then picks off the workers who were vocal about their rights.”

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