The dispute with Xstrata at the Tahmoor Colliery has been punishing our local community for far too long, but the foreign mining giant seems determined to make things even worse.

Last Friday mine workers were due to start picketing in response to the company’s flat-out refusal to even come to the negotiation table on a new enterprise agreement.

But when the union found out that Xstrata was planning to use underskilled and inexperienced office staff to shore up the unstable long wall, workers who were meant to be picketing went in there to ensure safety.
 
Now, this Friday, we’ve learnt that Xstrata has once again sent those underskilled and inexperienced staff back into the mine to cut coal.
 
It’s an action that’s inflammatory, short-sighted and flat-out dangerous. But it’s not entirely unexpected.
 
In recent weeks Xstrata has really stepped up the aggression in its campaign to cut conditions and safety at the Tahmoor Colliery.
 
This is an excerpt from a personalised, bullying letter sent from Xstrata to the home of every worker:
 
“As you are aware, during recent negotiations [between Xstrata and the CFMEU] both parties reserved the right to review their positions if negotiation was unsuccessful. The Company has now reviewed its position and we will be putting that position to your bargaining representatives. The proposed agreement that we will be putting… will not be as favourable to employees as the proposal that was on the table at the end of [previous] negotiations.”

Get it?
 
You dared to stick up for yourself when your conditions and rights were being stripped from you, so as punishment we’ve decided to make our employment deal even worse.
 
In response, we distributed our own letter, explaining to other locals in Tahmoor just why we have to continue this fight - even though it’s hurting the community we know and love.
 
“We know the Tahmoor community is concerned about how long this dispute has dragged out for and we are too. Tahmoor miners are not prone to downing tools. Tahmoor Colliery had gone 30 years without a day’s strike about concluding a workplace agreement before Xstrata took over. But when a multinational mining giant moves to terminate its current enterprise agreement and refuses to enter into further discussion about it, workers have to act to protect their rights.”

We want to negotiate with Xstrata. We’ve even offered to suspend all industrial action while negotiations take place.
 
But they won’t come to the table unless we back down entirely and return to work with compromised conditions, security and safety.

And we can’t simply can’t cop that.