Rosters at Solid Energy's Stockton opencast mine near Westport may be changing and that could mean fewer hours and less take-home pay for some workers.
Stockton Alliance began talking to workforce representatives about roster changes this week, said Solid Energy communications manager Bryn Somerville.
The changes were part of Solid Energy's drive for greater cost efficiency in the face of a very tough international coal market.
Solid Energy management believed the changes had to be made to keep the mine competitive. If they could be successfully brought in, they would lower the chances of the mine needing to reduce the number of operators - Stockton Alliance employed about 380 people as machine operators.
Mr Somerville said the economics of Stockton were very difficult at the moment. The mine was a high-cost producer. Solid Energy did not yet know if coal prices had reached the bottom of the cycle, so had to make changes to keep the mine viable.
It was likely that if the market worsened, further changes would be needed at the mine.
Solid Energy planned to make the roster changes by the end of October.
It currently had several different rosters. The main one, a four-panel roster, involved four groups of people working 12-hour shifts.
They worked either four nights and three days, then had seven days off; or four days and three nights, then had seven days off.
In any week, two groups were working and two were off.
The next roster was a 12-hour day shift, which ran for five days on and five days off.
Solid Energy was proposing people on the day-shift roster would go to the first four-panel roster. That would allow Stockton to increase its machine utilisation.
It was also proposing all shifts be reduced from 12 hours to 10 hours.
"So, the four panels of people now doing four days, three nights, seven off etc could continue on that pattern but on 10 hours a day, rather than 12."
Currently the four-panel shifts had operators working 2189 hours a year. The same roster on 10-hour shifts would have them working 1824 hours a year. That would mean a cut in take-home pay.
As a means of allowing people to address that, Solid Energy planned to bring in a new roster of three-day shifts, three night shifts, and three days off. Each shift would be a 10-hour one.
People who elected to go on that shift would work 2432 hours a year allowing them to earn more than if they were on the current 12-hour rosters.
Time would tell how many people would take up that option. Mr Somerville said it would come down to lifestyle in part.
The seven days off would suit some people, but others would be in the job for the money and would have the option of the new shift.
Solid Energy also proposed giving workers the chance to try out the new shift to test whether it suited them.
Mr Somerville said the company was taking the measures to ensure all operations were as effective as they could be.
"The only way to provide job security at Stockton in these volatile times is to ensure the operation is competitive with the rest of the world."
The Stockton workforce and union, although not all happy about the changes, were understanding about the need for change. Mr Somerville said they had been very open and co-operative in being part of the process to reach an agreed outcome.
- By Kim Fulton of the Westport News
