Solid Energy now has about 1000 workers either locked out or on strike, affecting its total production across the country.

Yesterday, the SOE said mediation talks in Hamilton (where the dispute began) had failed.

Chief operating officer Barry Bragg said Solid Energy was motivated to resume talks and had asked the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) to lift the current industrial action.

“We want to get back to the bargaining table with the union, but we can’t bargain in good faith when there is ongoing industrial action.

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.

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.