Striking miners expect 5,000 at Sydney protest

By Richard Macey, Sydney Morning Herald,
Wednesday 16 July 1997

Up to 5,000 people may take to Sydney's streets this morning to support striking mine workers in their battle against Rio Tinto, union leaders predict.

More than 200 workers from Rio Tinto's Hunter Valley No.1 mine, on strike since June 10, met yesterday on their picket line, about 20 kilometres north of Singleton, to confirm their determination to fight the company's plans for individual work contracts and the winding back of union power.

Today's protesters, expected to be mostly members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), are planning to march from the union's offices in Kent Street to the York Street headquarters of the mining company.

Industrial Commission talks between the warring parties, set down for this afternoon, have now been rescheduled for tomorrow morning.

The strikers were backed yesterday by the Premier, Mr Carr, who condemned Rio Tinto for what he said was using individual contracts to provoke its workers.

Mr Carr appealed to the Prime Minister, Mr Howard, to hold peace talk with the company and the union during his visit to Newcastle today.

However a company spokesman said the strike was about the union's refusal to give up restrictive work practices and had nothing to do with individual contracts.

The company was willing to offer the union pay rises averaging $150, and up to $300, for workplace reforms.

Rail lines which normally carry heavily laden coal trains out of the mine became benches yesterday for picketing workers who sat on the tracks to listen to speeches from union officials and Federal Labor MPs.

The Opposition's industrial relations spokesman, Mr Bob McMullen, told the meeting the campaign being waged by Rio Tinto was pointing the way Australia's industrial relations might go for some years if John Howard has his way.

Mr McMullen read the strikers a statement of support from the Opposition Leader, Mr Beazley.

They broke into wild applause when the Joint National Secretary of the CFMEU, Mr Stan Sharkey, assured them they would win.

If you lose this the trade union movement of this country will be set back 100 years, and we will not allow that to happen, he added to more applause.

Many of the 430 strikers did not attend the rally. Union leaders said reinforcements had been sent to seven other picket lines around the mine after several trucks and cars had managed to enter the company grounds before dawn.

Franklins workers to picket stores

More than 200 workers who lost their jobs at the Franklins Chullora distribution centre plan to picket Franklins stores across NSW from today.

Two-hundred-and-twenty employees, mainly storemen and packers, began picketing the Chullora distribution centre last night after they were informed of the job losses.

Franklins said yesterday the decision to close the distribution centre was a result of a strategic management review recommending operations at Chullora be transfered to the more modern centre at Ingleburn.

The Chullora plant will continue to operate until early September, to allow time for job replacement and the transition to Ingleburn.

But a union meeting held immediately after workers were informed of the losses passed a motion to strike indefinitely until there was a genuine attempt to address our needs and do their best to save our jobs.

The NSW State Secretary of the National Union of Workers, Mr Frank Belan, said as many as 700 Franklins employees could be involved in a picket of Franklins stores.

We will be going around to all their major shops and asking truck drivers not to unload any goods on the delivery docks and demonstrating on their front doors, said Mr Belan. We will be asking people not to shop at Franklins.

But the managing director of Franklins, Mr Don Fraser, said: I don't believe it will help the situation. We have a very generous redundancy package.

We can understand the emotions in a situation like this. It is not a decision we take lightly at all.

Mr Fraser said a job centre will be established to help the employees find alternative work.

But Mr Belan strongly criticised the company for closure of the centre.

Most of them have been employed by this company for 30 odd years - given their loyal service ... most would be the age of 45, 50 or over. They have to get another job in the same industry or any other industry.

Meanwhile one worker at the meeting described the job losses as execution-style redundancies.

Mr Mohammed Salameh, a forklift driver, said: It is all because of John Howard's attitude and politics. He is making the rich richer and the poor poorer.