Industrial action is spreading over Solid Energy’s coal mines.

Rotowaro opencast mine employees in the Waikato began action early last week after talks collapsed.

Since then, workers across the company’s sites have increasingly joined stop work action. About 780 are now participating and the company is appealing the EMPU to lift the action.

Yesterday morning, 500 Stockton opencast mine workers were the latest to join in. On Wednesday last week, about 100 Huntly East underground mine workers took action in support and have not returned to work.

About 120 workers at the Spring Creek underground mine near Greymouth took 24-hour action on Friday.

Solid Energy chief operating office Barry Bragg said the action had spread in support for the Waikato workers, but he acknowledged other possible reasons.

“We’ve been in talks with the union for some time now, attempting to agree a new multi-employer collective agreement (MECA).

“It’s disappointing that we’ve got to this point. Solid Energy and HWE Mining [which operates the mine] are asking the union to lift the action so that we can resume talks.”

EPMU director of organising Ged O’Connell was unavailable last night.