Central Queensland resources employees will choose whether to temporarily postpone duties for more long-term employment.
Coal workers from four BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) mine sites will decide whether to lawfully resort to full-shift stoppages, part-shift stoppages, overtime bans, training sessions, step up duties and holding meal breaks at designated times.
Industrial action could potentially be taken at the following BMA operations:
- Saraji, 231km southwest of Mackay
- Blackwater, 226km west of Rockhampton
- Peak Downs, 210km southwest of Mackay
- Goonyella Riverside, 203km southwest of Mackay.
The Mining and Energy Union (MEU) accused the proponent of poorly engaging with employees about improving job security through offering more permanent shirts. Union officials have recommended seeking a protected action ballot order from the Fair Work Commission.
“We had over a year of negotiations with BHP then months more assisted by the Fair Work Commission but BHP just are not listening. Job security is the biggest issue at BHP coal mines and … they have seen jobs around them axed and replaced by insecure, lower paid work,” MEU Queensland district president Stephen Smyth said in a public statement.
Smyth stressed any potential industrial action is not about increasing remuneration levels. It concerns a broader industry shift towards outsourcing workers who allegedly have less desirable conditions than their permanent counterparts.
MEU urged the proponent to revise its central EA and ensure permanent crew members are replaced with new permanent recruits, instead of lower-paid labour hire and contracted staff. QMEB can reveal the pact covers about 2050 BMA workers across Central Queensland, and only 40 per cent of them are permanently employed. Labour hire and contractors account for the remaining 60 per cent.
“They have watched for a decade while permanent enterprise agreement (EA) jobs declined to be replaced by labour hire. Then they have witnessed the shameless contrivance of BHP’s in-house labour hire provider, Operations Services,” Smyth said.
“They are not willing to settle for hollow promises anymore. They want hard protection built into the agreement around EA job numbers, redundancy protections and career progression.”
Voting on the protected action ballot order is underway and ends on 24 October 2022.
Related articles
Resources giant announces new mine disaster leave
Mining giant wrongly retrenched coal workers says authority
Central Qld mines pause work for permanent shirts
Coal employees stop work early for pay rise.
Add Comment