Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union members at Gujarat NRE’s two coalmines yesterday morning voted to return to work despite the company offering no real guarantee of when every worker would receive all their entitlements.

Gujarat said in a statement that it would pay one of the five weeks of owed wages, but confirmed that 48 workers would not be paid.

Workers are currently owed five weeks’ worth of wages and more than five months’ worth of superannuation, totalling $5 million.

CFMEU southwestern district vice-president Bob Timbs said it was hard for workers not to feel “cynical about Gujarat management amid the uncertainty”

“Our members are doing the right thing, they have been taking the company’s announcements at face value and for the past five weeks going to work every day on the company’s promises of pay,” he said.

“But even the most optimistic of Gujarat’s workers are becoming deeply cynical by the flimflam that has come from head office.

“It should not be pressure from the media that forces Gujarat to make wage promises.

“A company with acceptable corporate governance should be offering real guarantees on wages owed, not making wage promises in order to avoid questions from journalists.”

The union will be meeting with management today and union members will hold another rank-and-file meeting on Monday morning.