Trouble in the mines a sign of Solid problems?

State-owned Solid Energy’s latest industrial spat follows a pattern of dispute between its workers and major contractors.

This afternoon, negotiations reached an impasse at the Rotowaro mine near Huntly, where the latest action started.

HWE Mining, a subsidiary of Australia’s largest contracting group, Leighton Contractors, has attempted to impose new hours and shift work on Solid Energy employees without consulting them, said the Engineering Printing and Manufacturing Union.

In July 2007, HWE locked out about 200 workers at Rotowaro after workers voted for a go-slow and overtime ban.

At the same time, Doug Hood, contractor at the company’s Stockton Mine, was attempting to settle failed multi-employer collective agreement (MECA) talks and a subsequent overtime ban.

Stockton Alliance now runs the mine, formed by Solid Energy and Australian company Downer EDI.

Solid Energy operates its two underground mines.

In the latest round at Rotowaro, miners were aggrieved that an Australian company could dictate their hours without consultation, said EPMU assistant national secretary and spokesman for energy and mining Ged O’Connell.

“But the biggest concern is that Solid Energy is developing a poor track record of its relationship with contractors. There are continually problems, but we don’t know what’s happening there.”

Miners were strongly united and clear about what was important to them, he said.

“It is a typical mining dispute, injury to one is injury to all.”

Negotiations over a MECA agreement at Rotowaro began some months ago, but spreading industrial action across the country has affected production in the North and South Islands.

“There’s no coal running at all,” Mr O’Connell said. “This wasn’t approached with the idea of stopping coal, the action is to try and get Solid Energy in a room with HWE and employees.”

Solid Energy had not been party to the negotiations, except in the first instance, he said.

Solid Energy has over 700 million tonnes of coal in its licences and exploration permit areas and operates underground and opencast mines around Huntly in the Waikato, Greymouth, Westport and Reefton on the West Coast and Ohai in Southland.

More than half of annual output is exported.

A spokeswoman said it had affected production but this had not yet been quantified and it had not had any impact on customers.

Solid Energy was very motivated to resolve the talks and "get around the table."