BHP Coal faces protest as campaign continues

BY BILL MASON

BRISBANE — BHP Coal's head office here faces a protest by anti-corporate activists on March 16, who will act in solidarity with the struggle by BHP coalminers in central Queensland.

As part of a campaign to expose "corporate scumbags" in the lead-up to the May 1 blockade of the stock exchange here, the protest will call attention to BHP's attacks on its coalminers' wages and conditions, and its international history of exploitation and environmental destruction in countries such as Papua New Guinea. BHP Coal's office is in the same building as the Brisbane offices of the Australian Stock Exchange.

Initiated by the Democratic Socialist Party and Resistance, the protest is seeking the support of the mining and energy division of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, as a campaign by coalminers in central Queensland for wage justice and job security continues.

A seven-day strike by CFMEU members finished on March 7, with a further 24-hour stopwork taking place at the Hay Point coal loading facility near Gladstone the following day.

Union members accused the company of using security guards to harass the families of picketing miners during the strike. BHP has applied to the Industrial Relations Commission to end the official bargaining period on a new agreement, a move which could trigger arbitration on new award conditions.

However, the union has declared the campaign will continue for improved conditions under a new award.

From GLW issue 440