NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business / Economy / Employment

West Cost mine workers reject new shifts

By Lee Scanlon of the Westport News
Other·
14 Nov, 2012 07:09 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Stockton mine. Photo / Supplied

Stockton mine. Photo / Supplied

Solid Energy's Stockton opencast mine machinery operators have rejected a proposed shift change, despite management warning the mine's future is in jeopardy.

Half of the operators voted in a secret ballot on the shift proposal last Thursday and the rest voted last night.

The result was 194 to 52 against moving from 12-hour to 10-hour shifts, said Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) area organiser, Garth Elliott.

The operators were concerned about the resulting 17 per cent cut in their pay, which equated to between $9000 and $13,000 a year, he said.

"Obviously they didn't want to lose all that income. The other side of it was, they weren't very happy about the voluntary roster the company also wanted in that variation."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Solid Energy had proposed a voluntary roster of three days on, three nights on, and three days off, as an option for workers who did not want a pay cut. They could have earned more money than on the current 12-hour shifts, but would have worked longer hours.

Mr Elliott said they feared the result would be fewer jobs long-term, Mr Elliott said.

"They felt it was a threat to them and they didn't even want it on the board."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Before the vote, management had warned them that if they rejected 10-hour shifts "we might not be here in another month or two months' time".

Mr Elliott said workers regarded the warning as a threat rather than reality.

They could not understand why Stockton, which had long been profitable, was facing a shortfall this financial year.

They wanted to know what Solid Energy operations Stockton's profits had propped up and why Solid Energy had not made provision, when times were good, to weather the current coal price crisis.

Discover more

New Zealand

Pike River response 'cumbersome'

05 Nov 12:54 AM
New Zealand

Mine safety expert: Blame has to stop

05 Nov 10:29 PM
Energy

Mining standards 'dumbed down'

07 Nov 02:30 AM
New Zealand

Quake revival no aid to jobless data

08 Nov 04:30 PM

"Where has all that money gone, why have they spent it all? Why isn't the Government stepping in to help this situation out? After all they are a stakeholder, they're the shareholder."

Workers believed there were other alternatives for Stockton to save money, rather than shift changes. He declined to reveal what the alternatives might be.

He said management told the operators 45 workers had left Stockton over the last month and were not currently being replaced. The resignations increase Stockton's job losses to around 150, mostly among mine contractors.

Mr Elliott said Solid Energy could not impose shift changes without workers' approval. "They've got to sit down and talk to us again or there's a disputes procedure in the agreement which normally entails going to mediation to talk about the issue."

The Westport News put the workers' concerns to Solid Energy, but it declined to comment. Communications manager Bryn Somerville would say only that the company was disappointed with the vote against 10-hour shifts, the need for saving remained, and Solid Energy was considering its next steps.

"Whatever is decided, however, we will be speaking first to our teams at Stockton and their representatives."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In a recent newsletter to workers, Stockton Alliance manager Michael Harrison said the mine had already cut $32 million from its budget, but needed to save more by making shift changes or its viability was in doubt.

"I am convinced that these changes - including the need to reduce the shifts to 10 hours - are essential. If it is rejected, the future viability of the mine will be in question in the current market."

In response, the workers asked why managers weren't also facing pay cuts.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Employment

Premium
Property

Liquidator helps secure visas for 60 workers from failed NZ firm

Premium
AnalysisKate MacNamara

Reserve Bank's employee benefits: Gold standard or pretty standard?

Premium
Tax

Tax break? Govt urged to make it cheaper for employers to provide health insurance


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Employment

Premium
Premium
Liquidator helps secure visas for 60 workers from failed NZ firm
Property

Liquidator helps secure visas for 60 workers from failed NZ firm

'The welfare of these ProLink employees was paramount to me' – liquidator Pritesh Patel.

16 Jul 06:00 AM
Premium
Premium
Reserve Bank's employee benefits: Gold standard or pretty standard?
Kate MacNamara
AnalysisKate MacNamara

Reserve Bank's employee benefits: Gold standard or pretty standard?

16 Jul 03:00 AM
Premium
Premium
Tax break? Govt urged to make it cheaper for employers to provide health insurance
Tax

Tax break? Govt urged to make it cheaper for employers to provide health insurance

15 Jul 01:02 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP