Collie Griffin workers fear for the mine's future

GRIFFIN coalminers fear for their future following reports parent company Lanco Infratech has failed to pay a major contractor.

Waroona-based contractor Carna Civil and Mining were handed operational responsibilities after figures from Lanco Infratech's full-year results released in May showed the parent company had lost $307.5 million of its nett worth. 

Sources from within Carna have said Lanco "has not been doing the right thing".

Griffin machine operator and trainer assessor Greg Busson has worked at Griffin for 32 years and said morale was extremely low. 

"Workers are starting to think, enough is enough," Mr Busson said. 

"Things were supposed to change when a new contractor came in with money but obviously the contractor is not getting paid so the flow on has knocked through to the work force."

Mr Busson said the workers hadgone out of their way to keep the place going since the company became unstable in mid 2009. 

He said any other mine would have been brought to a stand still whereas the workers at Griffin had done whatever they could to keep it going.

"They have driven poorly maintained equipment and worked in terrible conditions, they are positive people but at the moment its hard to keep them feeling positive because they can't see a future for the mine," Mr Busson said. 

Other sources have told the Collie Mail workers' private superannuation funds had not been paid and the showers were out of use due to outstanding gas bills. 

It is believed Carna recently stopped coal deliveries from Griffin to Bluewaters Power Station for 12 hours in the hope of being paid. 

CFMEU Mining and Energy district secretary Gary Wood said the big issue was Lanco needing to focus on sustainability rather than lying to people about coal exports from Bunbury.

"The mine should try to consolidate a five to six million tonne operation before they start talking about exporting coal which they will not get the financing for," Mr Wood said. "The export issue shouldn't even be on the table at this moment in time. 

"Lanco needs to be ensuring its current contracts are met and their contractors are living up to their agreement. 

"They need to focus on consistent supplies for Bluewaters because that's the future."

Mr Wood said with the focus on the current contracts employees would not be made made redundant but people needed to realise there were "some rogues at Griffin that needed to come clean".

"We have seen demonstrations of what they have done and how they rip people off and the latest that we hear is they are looking at legal options of how they can get workers back on to the award to reduce their wages by $20,000," he said

According to Mr Wood Lanco had not been turning up to meetings "and when they do, they tell lies". 

Mr Wood said he was concerned about the pressure workers and their families faced as a consequence of not knowing what may or may not happen. 

"The stress it puts on the workers and their families can then lead to unsafe practices," he said.

"However, I want to confirm that coal and jobs will continue, they have to because the state needs energy and that is the cold hard facts." 

Lanco Infratech could not be contacted for comment.