Bowen Basin coalmine workers have overwhelmingly approved taking protected action stoppages across BHP’s seven mines in protest at the company’s latest Enterprise Agreement offer.

Strong votes against BHP’s latest offer were recorded at mass meetings in Central Queensland today and yesterday, as employees refused to back down from demanding mine safety and equal pay for labour hire employees and sub-contractors’ provisions in the Agreement.

Workers from the company’s seven mines met at rank and file meetings in Blackwater, Emerald, Dysart and Moranbah to hear union representatives report back on negotiations with the Single Bargaining Unit (SBU).

Workers soundly rejected the proposed Agreement and approved a protected stoppage at all seven mines simultaneously for up to seven days at a date to be determined by the SBU.

CFMEU District President Stephen Smyth said workers were clearly frustrated by the company’s failure to address workers’ safety concerns.

These included BHP’s refusal to provide fatigue crib breaks for employees working 12-hour shifts on consecutive nights and clauses which permit managers to permanently replace employees performing safety-critical open cut examiner and mine deputies roles.

“This offer seeks to take mine safety out of the pit and into the office,” Mr Smyth said.

“Management seem to have forgotten that when under-managers elected to not inform workers of the potential dangers at BHP’s Moura mine in 1994, 11 workers lost their lives in one of Australia’s worst modern mine disasters,” he said.

“Some of our current members at BHP mines lost their mates in that disaster so that’s why workers are adamant they will not back down on safety.”

Mr Smyth said the latest proposed Agreement showed the company was refusing to restore equal pay for labour hire workers and important protections for permanent employees replaced by sub-contractors.

BHP relies heavily on labour hire and sub-contractors and while it has traditionally accepted its responsibility to pay equal rates for equal work, it slashed some pay rates by as much as 50 per cent and removed protections for permanent employees under the Howard Government’s WorkChoices laws.

“Australia has moved on from Work Choices, but it appears BHP hasn’t. Our members just want a fair go,” Mr Smyth said.

As negotiations neared the 15-month mark, Mr Smyth said workers were growing increasingly frustrated, given the current Agreement expired last May.

“When BHP walked away from the negotiating table last year, the company’s own ballot of its workers returned a 92 per cent vote rejecting their Agreement,” he said.

“It’s pretty clear management need to start listening.”