Source: Reuters                             Date: 21 September, 2011

BHP Billiton will face work stoppages at all its Queensland, Australia coal mine operations last week ahead of an employee vote on a contract, a workers union said. BHP re-established its presence in Mongolia in 2005 and currently conducts geological exploration programs. Australia is also Mongolia's top competitor in the coal trade to China.
BHP said last week negotiations halted with the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and would put a proposed contract directly to employees at the end of the month. The CFMEU approved industrial action at mines operated by the BHP Billiton-Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) last June and miners have protested with work stoppages in an attempt to get greater job security and more pay for union members as rising prices boosts mining sector profits. Last month BHP posted record profits of USD 10.98 billion for the second half of 2011.“We are looking at escalating the actions at all the operations next week. They will potentially be shift-long or longer stoppages,” SFMEU spokesman Stephen Smyth said.The proposed contract would include an AUD 15,000 signing bonus paid over the course of a year as well as a 5 percent annual pay rise for three years. The Union said it will reject the offer because it lacks enough conditions and entitlement to the benefit of workers.