Minister Acts On Bellambi Dispute

Illawarra Mercury

Saturday June 14, 2003

By WILLIAM VERITY

MINISTER for Mineral Resources Kerry Hickey is to appoint a retired judge to mediate next week on the Bellambi West mine dispute before it spirals out of control.

Mr Hickey said he was acting in the interest of the 50 employees of Thin Seam Mining, who were retrenched on Thursday.

``I want everyone to roll up their sleeves and talk through the issues so we can get a quicker resolution than we would through a costly court case," the Minister said.

His decision to intervene in the increasingly acrimonious dispute between Thin Seam Mining and its landlord, Great Pacific Capital (GPC), followed a confrontation yesterday morning when police escorted Thin Seam managing director Larry Cook off the mine site.

Officers were called by security guards employed by GPC who sealed off the mine access road on Thursday evening. Mr Cook - who has worked uninterrupted from an office on the site for almost two years - reluctantly agreed to leave after phoning his lawyer.

``I chose not to be arrested out of respect for the police officers," he said.

``I made it quite clear to them that I felt I had a legal right to be on the property."

Two other Thin Seam employees - office manager Nola Rhodes and mine manager Paul Coxhead - were initially allowed to pass, but evicted at 10am.

Paul Jury, who heads GPC Bellambi, a subsidiary of GPC, yesterday repeated his intention to make no public comment.

GPC Bellambi is liable for workers' entitlements under the mining licence agreement but is delaying redundancy payments to the mine's workforce on the grounds that it should not be liable to pay superannuation.

The Mercury has also obtained a letter from GPC lawyer Ron Zucker stating that the company disputes Thin Seam's right to mine, despite a five-year agreement announced by both parties last year.

It states that GPC is paying $500,000 per month simply to maintain the vacant colliery, which once employed more than 200 miners.