Miners protest for payment

Miners protest for payment

By Michelle Armstrong

CANBERRA — Workers from Woodlawn Mine at Tarago, near Goulburn, rallied outside Parliament House on March 23 to demand federal government action to force the payment of $6 million in entitlements owed to them.

The Woodlawn copper, zinc and lead mine has folded. Company law, tightened under the former Labor federal government, states that liquidating companies' money and assets must first go to the government in taxes, then to secured creditors and only last to workers.

In the Woodlawn case, there was nothing left to pay long service leave, redundancy entitlements and outstanding wages to the 160 workers sacked on March 12. Australian Workers' Union speakers said it was unacceptable that "when employers get sick, workers get the cold".

Unions are demanding that the legislation be changed. ALP member for Prospect, Janice Crosio, told the protesters she intends to introduce a private member's bill to protect workers' entitlements through an insurance scheme, and that the Democrats had indicated support.

From GLW issue 312