WA: Union claims miners held against their will

AAP General News (Australia)
08-01-2004
WA: Union claims miners held against their will

PERTH, Aug 1 AAP - About 120 miners were locked in against their will at a remote BHP
Billiton mine in the Pilbara today, The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union said.

Contracting firm Henry Walker Eltin locked the workers out of the Yandi mine near Newman
at 5.30am (WST) after an ongoing industrial dispute.

But AMWU state secretary Jock Ferguson said workers had been locked in and had been
unable to leave the site.

Mr Ferguson said the company had flown in 30 security guards to police the lockout.

He said only after the miners called police to report they were being held against
their will did the company agree they could leave.

"Here we've got these workers who are thousands of kilometres away from their families
... in one of the harshest environments on the face of the planet where an employer, for
all intents and purposes, kidnapped them and wouldn't let them out," Mr Ferguson said.

Henry Walker Eltin executive general manager Garret Dixon told the ABC the company
had not held the workers hostage and had only locked them out of operational areas of
the site.

"The people, particularly the union, have been continuing industrial action with rolling
two hour strikes," he said.

"It's a process we believe can help with both parties to realise, look this is hurting
both sides and it's time we should get on and resolve the issue."

The AMWU was planning to protest against the lockout at Henry Walker Eltin's Perth
offices tomorrow morning.

AAP apw/was/de

KEYWORD: YANDI

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