RTBU: Pacific National Strike

A Dispute between train drivers and Pacific National, the biggest coal carrier in NSW, has escalated with workers to strike and the company cutting its pay offer.

The Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) said it has notified the company it will stage a 24-hour strike from noon on Friday. Over 80% of members voted to strike to bring Pacific National back to negotiations.

Pacific National Coal, which walked out of talks last week after 13 months of negotiations, said it would reduce its offer of a 4 per cent per year salary increase over three years to 3 per cent each year over the same period.

RTBU national secretary, Bob Nanva, said it had ''no option other than industrial action'' after Pacific National walked out of negotiations.

Pacific National Coal director David Irwin said a 24-hour shutdown would prevent 300,000 tonnes of coal from reaching port.


In an unprecedented attack on the rights of workers, two mining companies have threatened legal action against the RTBU over the potential Pacific National Coal protected industrial action.

Xstrata Coal NSW, which is not involved in salary negotiations, sent a letter to the union threatening to take legal action if workers strike. Whitehaven Coal has also threatened to make a complaint.

Loco Division Secretary Bob Hayden said the threat is an outrageous attack on the rights of workers.

“Workers deserve fair pay and conditions – we’re certainly not going to accept an agreement that compromises on safety. The mining companies should be going to Pacific National and asking why they haven’t been willing to agree to a last ditch attempt to a negotiated settlement as offered by the RTBU, not threatening workers who are just trying to get a fair go,” Bob Hayden said.

“Workers don’t want to have to take industrial action, but the company has left us with no choice but to go down that path. Any action we take will be protected industrial action that has been approved by Fair Work Australia.

“It’s outrageous that these big mining companies are now also trying to bully us into accepting an inferior agreement.”

RTBU National Secretary Bob Nanva told the Sydney Morning Herald that it was ”unheard of” for a third party not directly involved in an industrial dispute to threaten legal action.

”This is a co-ordinated assault on the right of union members to collectively bargain and strike,” he said. ”This is a forerunner to what will happen if Tony Abbott is elected prime minister. These companies are straining at the leash and desperately want to bring back WorkChoices.”