Workers at the Port Kembla Coal Terminal will take protected industrial action from Wednesday after management scaled back conditions on offer during the latest Enterprise Agreement talks.

The CFMEU has expressed disappointment management took the retrograde step during a two-day conciliation meeting at Fair Work Australia this week, leaving the terminal’s workforce no option than to take protected action.

The union has supported workers’ efforts for increased job security during their negotiations with PKTC/BHP Billiton contract management in finalising a 3 ½ year Enterprise Agreement.

Management’s latest offer triggered delegates to take the decision after almost 100 workers had previously voted to approve a seven-day stoppage from Wednesday morning, failing any eleventh-hour offer from management on Tuesday.

South Western District Vice President Bob Timbs said the union was committed to reaching agreement with the terminal operators and strongly backed the workers’ vote.

Mr Timbs said the major sticking point with the latest Agreement version concerned increased job security measures - including resisting attempts from the company to dilute the workforce with employees not covered by the Agreement - and was not about renumeration.

“We are very disappointed that during the Fair Work Australia conciliation meetings this week management’s revised Enterprise Agreement actually put workers in a worse-off position than previous versions,” Mr Timbs said.

“We remain committed to achieving a fair outcome for both the workforce and the coal terminal operators but workers will not abide an Agreement that has gone backward,” he said.

“This is about ensuring job security for the life of the 3 ½ year Agreement.

“During the lifetime of the last Agreement the price per tonne for coal has skyrocketed; we know the operators can afford to build some concrete job security into the details of the next Agreement.”