After more than 18 months of negotiations, Premier Coal devised a new Enterprise Agreement which will cover its operations and maintenance employees for the next three years.
The new Enterprise Agreement will be put presented workers at the mine who will have the chance to vote on the proposed agreement.
The move comes after union members from Premier Coal and Griffin Coal voiced their concerns about changes in the proposed draft agreement for production workers at Griffin Coal.
The draft agreement, which covers 170 Griffin Coal production workers was voted down by workers on Tuesday, July 25.
Premier Coal has been working to improve aspects of its business to ensure its sustainability.
It posted a loss in 2016 and continues to face significant financial challenges.
Collie-based Premier Coal has been working to revise its mine plan and improve productivity and efficiency across its entire business.
It believes more efficient and flexible work practices including lower labour costs, which represent more than 40 per cent of total expenses, are also needed and cannot be achieved with the current Enterprise Agreement.
“Extensive negotiations have led to this proposed new Enterprise Agreement,” a spokesperson for Premier Coal said.
“It has not been an easy process nor one that has been taken lightly. We appreciate a new agreement will mean change and adjustments will be required. However, without this change the impact may be even greater.
“We are committed to implementing an Enterprise Agreement that is fair and reasonable, provides greater certainty to the workforce, and supports Premier’s ability to remain an important part of the Collie and South West community.”
Premier Coal is briefing its workforce on the proposed Enterprise Agreement ahead of the planned vote from 8-11 August.