The strike action started on Thursday morning for staff at the Glencore site, after members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union recently voted on the two-day action.

The mine workers have resorted to taking this action as the union claims the renegotiation of a number of expired Enterprise Bargaining Agreements (EBA’s) is not progressing.

CFMEU district president, Peter Jordan, recently said their members had had enough.

“Some of the agreements expired in 2014,” he explained.

High on the list for mine workers is Glencore’s increasing use of casual contract labour along with job security, redundancy rates, and a “miserable pay offer”.

160 Ulan workers have walked off the job for this round of stoppages, and the CFMEU has indicated more industrial action will be taken.

The strike follows similar action at Glencore’s Hunter Valley operations.

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“Glencore is abusing the use of casual labour, threatening existing workers job security, refusing industry standard redundancy rates and attacking wage and living standards,” CFMEU district president, Peter Jordan recently said.

“The rank and file at the Glencore mines have shown they are not prepared to cop this, and with the full support of the Union we will fight this through to a fair end,” he said

A vote on a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement was recently held with nearly 99 per cent of workers voting against the offer.

The Ulan mine will begin two-hour rolling stoppages from next week.

The Mudgee Guardian contacted Glencore for comment.