About 3,500 workers from seven coal mines in Bowen Basin, Queensland owned by Australia's largest coal producer BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) began a seven-day strike on Wednesday, February 15, after 15 months of negotiations.
Last week, the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) announced that union members approved work stoppages at the Goonyella Riverside, Broadmeadow, Peak Downs, Saraji, Norwich Park, Gregory Crinum, and Blackwater coal mines for seven days with the aim of achieving a pay rise and improved safety and working conditions. The workers will return to work on Wednesday, February 22.
Queensland coal mines produce one million mt of coking coal per week, which is 20 percent of world production. The strike, which is reported to be the largest industrial action in Australia in over a decade, is not likely to affect BHP Billiton's profits in the short term, according to media reports.