June 4, 2025
Narrabri Underground coal miners have successfully defended their preferred mid-week/weekend roster pattern in their newly approved enterprise agreement, defeating an attempt by Whitehaven to impose 7/7 rosters.
The new EA, which also includes a strong pay increase and improved entitlements, is a big win for the majority-local workforce, many of whom live in Narrabri and Gunnedah.
Narrabri Underground Lodge President Ben Manchee said local Whitehaven management had done the right thing by hiring locally, but there was a long-term push from the board to introduce the longer roster pattern in line with other operations.
“We’re a local pit,” said Ben. “Our guys live here, play footy here, raise families here. A 7/7 roster just doesn’t work for our community.”
The pushback against the proposed 7/7 roster was overwhelming. In a decisive vote, 125 out of 130 employees voted ‘no’ to Whitehaven’s first offer proposing the change, with just three in favour. “That was a really good result for us,” Manchee said. “It showed the company just how united we were.”
Negotiations for the new enterprise agreement were led by Manchee alongside Lodge Vice Presidents Matt Launders and James Belcher, with the support of District Vice President Chad Hanson.
The united position of the workforce backed up by strong union density at the site of around 95% meant the workforce could not only reject the roster change but also secure a clause in the agreement that prohibits the company from implementing such a roster.
Beyond roster protections, the new agreement includes key wins for workers including:-
- Annual increases of 5, 4 and 4% in the 3-year deal.
- Shift loadings increased from 15% to 20% for the rotating afternoon / night shift.
- Maximum retention bonus increased from $10,000 to $15,000, at $1000 for every year of service.
- Attendance bonus of up to $5,000.
- Workers compensation provisions improved.
- Backpay to December 2024, covering 21 weeks.
The agreement also secured a three-year term, despite the company’s preference for four, and maintained the maximum 10.5-hour shift length established since the mine’s early days in 2010.
Ben, who has lived in Narrabri for 25 years and is deeply involved in the local junior rugby league, said the camaraderie of working underground and community ties among workers were key to the union’s strength. “We’ve always had strong density—90 to 95%. A lot of the guys come from rural backgrounds so they aren’t always familiar with unions when they start. But we’ve had some good delegates who have shown the value and importance of standing together.”
Reflecting on the process, Ben said the early engagement with members and transparent communication were crucial. “We got onto it early, had conversations really early. The guys were bought into the process. That made all the difference.”
The final vote on the agreement saw 103 in favour and 32 against—a stark contrast to a narrow result for the 2022 EA that was voted up with a majority of just four votes. “It’s a good deal after a period of not making a lot of progress in bargaining,” said Ben. “The majority understood that.”