Bloomberg reported that BHP Billiton Ltd coking coal miners in Australia have suspended their campaign of strikes pending the resumption of contract talks next month.

The Australian Metal Workers Union and Communications, Electrical & Plumbing Union, which represent the workers in the talks said negotiations on terms and conditions of employment will resume Jan. 9 and focus on reaching agreement on rosters, Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.

About 3,500 workers at BHP’s mines in Queensland Bowen Basin have held rolling strikes since June over pay and conditions. Labor unions globally are stepping up demands for higher wages and improved conditions as record commodity prices swell profits at mining companies.

The unions said “It is hoped that this and the other important issues can be settled in principle during the concentrated negotiations throughout January. No industrial action will be held until negotiations result in either a proposed replacement enterprise agreement being agreed in principle or an impasse is reached.”

BHP said in October the strikes in Queensland, the first in a decade at BHP’s Australian coal mines, have had a modest impact on production of coking coal. The workers rejected a second offer by the company in October for a new contract that included a 5% rise in annual salaries.

Ms Kelly Quirke a spokeswoman for BHP said “We welcome the decision by the unions to cease industrial action while negotiations continue on a new enterprise agreement. The company has continually maintained that industrial action was unnecessary while productive meetings continued and causes unnecessary financial harm to the business and our employees.”

(Sourced from Bloomberg)