Employees have approved lucrative incentives and multiple pay rises at a mine in Queensland’s Isaac region.
Eighty six per cent of workers recently voted in favour of a new enterprise bargaining agreement at BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s (BMA’s) Broadmeadow coal mine, 203km southwest of Mackay.
The first-ever collective deal includes an upfront $15,000 bonus plus annual wage increases of 3.5 per cent, 4 per cent and another 4 per cent for the life of the agreement.
“The agreement has also seen the implementation of overtime rates and payment for employees undertaking statutory competency requirements outside of rostered hours,” Collieries’ Staff and Officials Association (CSOA) Queensland organiser Zac Gallagher said in a public statement.
“The agreement also locks in uncapped redundancy pay and pay-out of sick leave on resignation [plus] … new Christmas and Boxing Day rostering arrangements that restrict work directions to minimum statutory requirements and not full production operations.”
The breakthrough came after more than a year of negotiations between BMA, CSOA, deputies and under managers.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) separately urged BHP and competitors to improve staff remuneration at all mine sites.
“The mining industry is so profitable it could give every single Australian worker a 6 per cent pay increase and still be the most profitable industry in Australia,” ACTU secretary Sally McManus said according to the Australian Associated Press.
BHP previously estimated the federal government’s crackdown on labour hire practices could cost the company $1.3 billion. The business is considering different cost-saving measures including a potential FutureFit Academy shutdown.
Meanwhile, BMA asset president Adam Lancey has been appointed as the next board president at the Queensland Resources Council (QRC).
Lancey replaces outgoing predecessor Brent Gunther who has already been in the role for four years. Gunther will stay on as a QRC board director.
“Safety is the number one priority for me, it must be. Without safety nothing else really matters. I want to see safety performance improve collectively as an industry,” he said.
Add Comment