AIRC backs Rio Tinto

By Alison Dellit

NEWCASTLE — A decision by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission on January 29 refused workers at Rio Tinto's Hunter Valley No. 1 mine access to arbitration to resolve the long-running dispute at the mine.

The dispute centres on attempts by Rio Tinto to introduce non-union workplace agreements to the fully unionised site. The company has said that its main objective is to break the power of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union at the site.

In November, after a four-month strike, the mineworkers successfully applied to take the dispute to arbitration. Rio Tinto opposed arbitration, preferring to break the back of the union through a prolonged strike, and appealed to the AIRC.

The AIRC's decision forces the workers to resume industrial action if they are to defeat the non-union work agreements. Mick Kelly, vice-president of the northern districts CFMEU, told Green Left the union was shocked, disappointed and angry at the decision.

"This time it's not us who are the strike makers. The decision puts us in a position where we have few options, but we are committed to fighting this all the way."

The union called a 24-hour stop-work from midnight on February 1 to discuss further action.

John Howard greeted the decision with enthusiasm, saying it "is a blow to the CFMEU, which boasts of being the principal ally of the Maritime Union of Australia".

From GLW issue 304