Gordonstone miners and families rally

By Paul Glenning

EMERALD, Queensland Three hundred Gordonstone coal miners and their families rallied and marched through Emerald on October 17 to express their solidarity and determination to make a stand against the bullying tactics used by ARCO.

As a show of unity, 25 workers from the Maritime Union drove from Brisbane and Gladstone to join the retrenched miners.

Coverage of the dispute by Channel 9's Sunday show on October 19 perpetrated many of the myths used by companies whenever they decide to sack or restructure, but it couldn't avoid showing some of the intimidatory tactics being used by ARCO "security" personnel.

In reality, the mine is not unproductive or inefficient; it has set records in production and cutting in recent years. What has changed is that mining companies have new legislation at their disposal allowing them to do what they like to their workers.

A poem by one of the retrenched miners read to the rally summed up the feeling of the miners and their families about what is at stake when it charged the company: "You're trying to crush this union; you're trying to break our will".

The Gordonstone miners are determined not to be broken, and deserve the support of the whole union movement, acting on the slogan, "An injury one is an injury to all".

From GLW issue 294