Union drawing pay while we struggle, says miner's wife

A West Coast miner's wife has blasted union organisers, saying they failed to hold a secret ballot on striking, failed to keep members informed, and continued to collect their own pay while workers' families struggle.

The woman, who declined to be named, was critical of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU).

She said the union should have held a secret ballot on the Stockton strike, but instead asked miners for a show of hands.

Those who wanted to keep working had been afraid of being victimised if they didn't put their hands up, she said.

The union had also failed to keep members well informed.

"My husband is only hearing things second-hand. They want you to go up to the picket line all the time to get information, but you've got to use petrol to get there."

She also criticised the timing of the strike so close to Christmas. Her family would be unable to meet mortgage and rate commitments, let alone buy Christmas presents.

The union had also never told them they could claim a hardship allowance.

The woman said EPMU organisers should be refusing their own pay while coal miners were on strike, as they did in the old days.

About 1000 EPMU members nationwide, including those at Stockton, have voted to return to work at 6am tomorrow to allow negotiations to resume with Solid Energy.

She said workers at Stockton had a fair gripe because they had not received the wages they were promised under the new alliance between Solid Energy and Downer EDI.

EPMU assistant national secretary (mining and energy) Ged O'Connell said he was "absolutely 100 per cent confident" that secret ballots were held nationwide.

If they weren't, union officials would have been breaching their duties.

He said he had received one complaint, that the Stockton workers had no ballot box and scrutineers had counted the votes in front of everyone. "That was true. I went back and investigated that."

Mr O'Connell acknowledged the union could have kept miners better informed.

However, when miners went on strike they were expected to participate in the picket line unless they had reasons not to.

"Particularly for the first week or 10 days, that's where the information was available."

He acknowledged the picket line was some distance from Westport. That was partly why the union had begun emailing miners a newsletter every second day and had set up a drop-in centre in Westport this week.

Mr O'Connell said a hardship allowance had become available only a week ago.

And union organisers had continued to collect wages because they had continued to work.

- NZPA