BHP rank and file members at seven Central Queensland coal mines have voted overwhelmingly for a campaign of protected industrial action to support their negotiations for a new Enterprise Agreement.

Despite BHP's desperate attempts to scuttle the campaign, in a vote of close to 3,500 members over 90% voted in support of taking protected action.

BHP's campaign included trying to have the application for site ballots converted to a postal ballot, then refusing to provide rooms for the ballots to be held on site.

When the unions responded by providing marquees in the car parks BHP was obstructive and refused to allow marquees with union logos on them. However, Fair Work Australia ordered the company to play ball.

In an outrageous breach of privacy, and in contravention of the Privacy Act, the company used employees' emergency contact details to send text messages to wives and partners discouraging participation in the ballot. The unions demanded and received from the company a written apology to workers.

Queensland District President Stephen Smyth said "BHP threw everything it had in a PR campaign to try to win the hearts and minds of the workers. It was all spin and our people saw through it. We knew that what they were trying to do was divide, dominate and then dictate to workers but it didn't work because we stuck together.

"The rank and file came through and exercised their democratic right to have their say. Not only did BHP's dirty tricks fail to scuttle our campaign; they strengthened it."

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Read General Secretary Andrew Vickers message about the campaign.

The three unions (Single Bargaining Unit or SBU) involved in the campaign are the CFMEU, AMWU and ETU. You can follow the campaign on our SBU campaign site.