Rio Tinto
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By Robyn Hohl
As we go to press, nearly 400 striking mineworkers from Rio Tinto's Hunter Valley No 1 mine near Singleton in NSW remain locked in a long-running dispute, the outcome of which could affect workers from all industries throughout the country. A Womens' Support Group has been set up and a Christmas tree has even been planted at the main picket camp as the miners settle in for what they are sure will be a long haul.
Despite the fact that the miners are still in the bargaining period during which they are legally entitled to picket under 'protected action', anti-union legislation is being used by the company in an attempt to stop the pickets from having any real effect. Members of the Public Transport Union have consistently refused to endanger lives by driving trains through the picket lines to pick up scab coal. The court injunctions currently being sought to stop picketers from blocking the rail lines mean union officials could face contempt of court proceedings, and possibly jail, if members defy them.
Meanwhile Federal Industrial Relations Minister Peter Reith has been gloating about the curtailing of a support strike by thousands of other Hunter Valley miners at the beginning of October. He claimed the early return to work as a victory for his government's revamped Workplace Relations Act secondary boycott provisions.
These provisions were put in place to prevent workers taking solidarity action by making unions liable to millions of dollars in damages claims and even sequestration of union assets for 'unauthorised industrial action'.
At some stage soon these laws, which were designed to break the power of organised workers to protect our rights, jobs and conditions, will have to be taken on and defeated. This cannot be the struggle of any one union alone. It will require the combined strength of the labour movement; from miners and wharfies to office workers and shop assistants. Unions throughout the country need to start preparing their members (and in some cases, members need to start preparing their union officials) for the battles that inevitably loom ahead.
An interview with Brian Sproule, Jim Cassidy, Steve Diesel and Ray Lambert
Militant: What's the background to the dispute?
Their plan is just to bust the union and that's all there is to it. We've all signed a document, twice now, that we want the union to represent us in the collective bargaining for an enterprise agreement but the company wants us to sign these individual contracts - workplace agreements. We've got no access to them, can't get a legal opinion on them - when we do have access to them, we've got to sign them. They say they'll give us a $170 rise, but the money was never an issue, it was the giving away of our collective bargaining.
Job security is the other thing. With these contracts, we can sign a contract tomorrow, but how about the younger blokes with young families who want to go and buy a house. The bank would say, 'Where do you work?' and they'd answer, 'Rio Tinto in the Hunter Valley, we're on a contract.' When they ask about the conditions of the contract, you'd have to tell them it could be terminated with two weeks notice from either party - that's straight termination, no debate at all, straight termination. Well the answer would be, 'Sorry son, that isn't good enough for a house loan.'
Militant: Has the company been planning for this dispute?
They've had this planned for two years at least here. They came into this mine and destroyed it for the sole reason of getting this implemented -to give them an excuse. They orchestrated it that way and run it down and we've had to stand by and watch it happen.
They go on about work practices, but the truth is you can only drive a truck so fast, you can only load a truck so fast, you can't perform miracles, you know. We already changed work practices here and gave them virtually everything they wanted about twelve or eighteen months ago, and that's still not good enough. Weimproved our productivity at least 60% and that's still not good enough.
They don't want arbitration because they might not get the things they want - like taking away seniority. If they got rid of seniority they could get rid of anybody that doesn't fit in with their type of thinking. So they don't want to take the risk on arbitration, they'd rather try and starve everyone out.
This 'level playing field' they want, instead of workers in Asia or anywhere else coming up to our level, these multinationals want our wages and conditions to be the same as what they've got in Third World countries.
Rio Tinto's agenda has always been to go in and rape any country they've ever been in. Of the $12.9 billion Rio Tinto make worldwide in a year, 4.9% comes from Australia. The only money that stays in this country from this company is the wages that we get here and the tax we pay here.
Militant: How are the laws aimed at preventing solidarity action affecting you?
Presently they're making the thing go longer aren't they, because if they weren't there, this dispute would be over, it would've been over in the first fortnight. The government is trying to make things like in America - there's been a dispute over there been going for five years. In my opinion, quite honestly, I think when push comes to shove, the laws just won't exist as far as the people of Australia are concerned because we are just about pissed off with all this. Reith is supposed to be an Australian member of parliament yet he's making these laws to suit the multi nationals so they can sue Australian workers and at the same time dig up our resources and take the money out of Australia. Some people might be doing OK out of it but it certainly isn't the workers - the working man is the loser all around.
Militant: Are you individually facing fines over all this?
Not at this stage we're not 'cause we're under protected action. Some of our delegates and the union executive are because of the picketing - $5 million each I think they're facing.
Militant: Has it been officially decided if these or other fines will be paid, if it comes to that?
No that hasn't been officially decided yet not officially unofficially I'd say it's been well and truly decided! They can shove it. Where would we get it [laughter] we might have to apply for a bank loan and on our present pay, I don't think we'd get a real big one!!
The whole of the union movement is behind us. I don't think at this stage that any union will be prepared to pay fines or anything to anybody and I can't see any reason why we should. The law is not right, the law is wrong, it's an unjust law, so why should we pay fines? The law won't be changed unless people say, 'No we don't agree with it'.
Militant: So how long are you prepared to sit it out?
As long as it takes! (in unison). We've got a yard stick to Christmas and we go from there. Put it this way, I haven't put in for Christmas holidays!