Unions see MIM confrontation
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — Unions at strife-torn Mount Isa are predicting a major industrial confrontation following the March 10 appointment of Comalco Ltd's Nick Stump to head giant Queensland mining company MIM Holdings Ltd.
Union officials commented that the move represented a step toward repeating CRA-Comalco's New Right anti-union industrial tactics of recent years.
Clerks Union secretary for north Queensland James O'Donnell said the appointment was a "recipe for more confrontation".
"This appointment flies in the face of MIM's stated aim of gaining the trust of its work force. If the company wants to go down this path, so be it. But the work force at Mount Isa won't cop it."
Union members at MIM met on March 11 to discuss their ongoing industrial campaign over wages and other conditions, which has included a strike on February 21 and other rolling stoppages and bans.