Highly skilled waterfront and electrical workers employed at Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG) at Kooragang Island have taken the historic step of taking Protected Industrial Action for the first time in the company’s history due to the refusal of bosses to provide a decent agreement with conditions that are consistent with the rest of the industry.
This momentous action comes after more than sixteen years working to an enterprise agreement that NCIG workers say has left them trapped under the dead legacy of the WorkChoices era. This agreement was first struck in the wake of a period when workers’ rights were deliberately weakened and employers were handed unprecedented power by John Howard, Peter Costello and Peter Reith.
NCIG workers throughout the operations side of the business are standing together to secure a fair agreement that recognises the value they create every day and brings their conditions into line with industry standards. These workers operate and maintain the massive machinery which loads bulk cargo ships with export grade coal from throughout the Hunter region and beyond.
Members are seeking practical and overdue improvements including:
- Fairer rostering arrangements;
- Fairer recognition when working Public Holidays;
- A decent wage increase to keep up with the rise in the cost of living; and
- Conditions that reflect the skills, flexibility and productivity expected of a modern multi-skilled workforce.
Despite operating as a highly productive workforce, NCIG employees continue to be paid less than comparable workers at neighbouring operations while delivering stronger outcomes for the business.
“NCIG workers load more, do more, and carry broader responsibilities. They’re generating significant value and returns for the company but the bosses would rather provoke a dispute than settle a fair agreement,” said Glen Williams, the MUA’s Newcastle Branch Secretary.
“For years, these workers have been told there is no case for change, and when a company like this enters bargaining saying it wants nothing from negotiations, workers are entitled to ask whether that’s because management already secured everything it wanted under arrangements imposed in a very different industrial era,” Mr Williams said.
That question was answered clearly when NCIG recently put its proposed agreement to a workforce vote and the workforce decisively rejected it.
“With 98% voting against the proposal, NCIG workers sent an unmistakable message that they are no longer prepared to accept conditions that fall short of comparable workplaces or agreements that fail to recognise the contribution they make,” Mr Williams said.
“NCIG was given the opportunity to heed that message and come to the bargaining table with a genuine willingness for landing a fair deal. Instead, due to their unwillingness to compromise and their provocations, NCIG workers are now taking protected industrial action – for the first time in NCIG’s history,” Mr Williams added.
