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BHP Billiton has agreed to terms and conditions with Queensland coal mining unions for a new three year Enterprise Agreement. The agreement covers 2000 employees at seven Central Queensland mines and the Hay Point coal terminal, managed by the BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance.

The Agreement was certified by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) today following a series of meetings and presentations to Queensland coal employees over the past four weeks.

Signatories to the Agreement were representatives from BHP Billiton Coal, the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), the Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia (CEPU) and the Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union (AMWU).

Key elements of the Enterprise Agreement include an immediate one-off payment to each full time employee, a pay increase of 12 per cent over three years, and additional payments to each employee's superannuation fund over three years.

Agreement was also reached on issues such as demarcation of work, access to contractors, safeguards to employee security, continuous improvement measures, roster arrangements and leave entitlements.

The Enterprise Agreement applies to 2000 BHP Coal employees at Goonyella, Peak Downs, Saraji, Norwich Park, Gregory, Crinum and Blackwater mines, and the Hay Point coal export terminal, south of Mackay.

The mines and port are managed by the BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance, a jointly-owned entity of BHP Billiton Limited and Mitsubishi Development Pty. Ltd.