KEY POINTS:
About 200 miners have been locked out at Rotowaro mine near Huntly in the ongoing pay dispute between miners and employers Solid Energy.
The miners were locked out last night by Solid Energy's contractor at the mine, HWE Mining, after voting for a go-slow and overtime ban.
Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) national secretary Andrew Little said today the company's action was out of line.
"Our members have been trying for months to reach a deal with HWE, but the company has continued to hold out even after Solid Energy and six of its other contractors have agreed to a settlement," he said.
"After being stonewalled at negotiations again last night our members voted to impose a go-slow and an overtime ban, only for HWE to escalate the situation with a full lockout."
The industrial action was part of a nationwide pay dispute involving more than 800 coal miners employed by Solid Energy and its contractors.
Meanwhile, miners at Solid Energy's Stockton mine were continuing with an overtime ban against mining contractor Doug Hood Ltd, which was also refusing to settle.
Solid Energy and EPMU have been trying to negotiate a new multi-employer collective agreement since April.
The miners, working in seven Solid Energy sites around the country, had been involved in various EPMU co-ordinated actions over the past two weeks, including a national ban on overtime and rolling stoppages.
- NZPA
