The 2000-strong town is dependent on the mine with some businesses reportedly closing down since mining ceased just over three weeks ago.
CFMEU Queensland district president Stephen Smyth suspects that Glencore has profiled the town as part of an effort to bring in a new workforce on a replacement enterprise agreement.
Smyth told ILN the company aimed to de-unionise the town and to start re-employing miners on less conditions and job entitlements.
He said there were plenty of legal options to fight it, especially under the transmission of business provisions of the Fair Work Act.
Glencore shut the mine down in the last weekend of August with Thiess’s mining contract expiring.
Roughly half of the mine’s workforce lived locally at Collinsville.
Meanwhile, Glencore is viewing the mine as a former Xstrata Coal site and thus a new project for Glencore.
“We have never operated the mine, nor employed any of the mineworkers,” a Glencore spokesman said.
“The CFMEU has agreed to agreements like the one we seek in the exact same circumstances – that is, contractor to owner-operator, at other long-term operating coal mines in Queensland.”
He also provided an operational update.
“Operations at the mine have ceased while Thiess removes its equipment and Glencore puts in place a number of changes needed to restart as a new operation under new management,” the spokesman told ILN.
“Among these essential changes is a new workplace agreement. A restart to operations is dependent on finalising a new workplace agreement.
“We will, however, begin advertising positions in the local communities within weeks.”
The salary proposal is based on a seven-day roster and expected to be in the range of $1900-5370 higher per annum than the previous EA. This is before superannuation, with the super offer expected to be $410-1240pa higher.
Glencore said it had started discussions with the CFMEU over a new collective Collinsville agreement in February with the union walking out of the negotiations in May.
“We have no preference on either a collective agreement or individual contracts, both of which are in place at our other Queensland operations,” the spokesman said.
