Solid Energy, workers return to negotiations

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Solid Energy says it is relieved 1000 staff have voted to return to work and end a strike that cost it more than $20 million.

Spokesman Bryn Somerville said $20m was a "fair estimate" as it had been down $10m a week while all four mines were on strike.

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) members will go back to work tomorrow.

Assistant national secretary Ged O'Connell said the decision was dependent on the revival of talks between the union, Solid Energy and its contractors.

"They will return to work at 6am and negotiations will start at 10am.

"The parties have been in constant communication during the strike but couldn't find a circuit-breaker. We are going to be working hard over the weekend to get this fixed."

He acknowledged the pressure was beginning to tell on unpaid picketers.

"It's been three or four weeks for some of those guys and obviously it's been tough," O'Connell said.

The strike followed the lockout of workers at Waikato's Rotowaro opencast mine on October 27 after they began go-slow action to protest roster and pay arrangements introduced by mine operator HWE Mining.

They were also unhappy with the collapse of talks around a new multi-employer collective agreement (Meca), which the union and employers have been trying to ratify since March.

Workers at the nearby Huntly East underground mine went on strike in support of the Rotowaro workers and were followed by about 630 at the Stockton opencast mine, near Westport, and the Spring Creek underground site, near Greymouth.

The Stockton workers are unhappy about several issues including rosters, pay and health and safety.

One Stockton miner said he was relieved to be returning to work. However, union members had agreed not to comment during the negotiations.

EPMU West Coast organiser Matt Winter said the workers were happy as long as they felt progress could be made.

Solid Energy chief operating officer Barry Bragg released a statement saying: "We are pleased that the crews are returning to work so bargaining can resume on Saturday."

Somerville said "senior people" would attend the negotiations in Hamilton.

The company refused to negotiate during the strikes, but O'Connell denied the union was backing down.

It had called off the strike because senior managers and decision-makers would be at the meeting. "It gives us a fair bit of hope that things will change."

Buller Mayor Pat McManus said it was "great news" workers at the region's major employer would be paid again.

"I would be particularly concerned about those younger families and the families with mortgages to pay as it was really starting to hurt them."