A multinational mining company will give workplace catastrophe victims extra time off duties.
Anglo American recently promised to grant “critical incident leave” to employees impacted by mine disasters at the Grosvenor Coal Mine near Moranbah, 198km southwest of Mackay. This means between 40 and 45 affected mine deputies could have more time to recover without taking normal paid leave.
The Collieries’ Staff and Officials Association (CSOA), which negotiated the terms as part of a new enterprise agreement with Anglo, confirmed at least one deputy rescued colleagues during the 2020 Grosvenor blast.
“These individuals are first responders and they should be treated as such,” CSOA Queensland union organiser Zac Gallagher said according to News Limited.
“They can now apply for another form of leave that does not take out of their normal sick leave or personal leave.”
Gallagher hopes improved conditions will deescalate conflicts about balancing safety requirements and other workplace responsibilities.
“We have reinforced their ability to halt production and pull up issues without any reprisal on their employment,” he said according to the media outlet.
Many Anglo deputies already earn more than $200,000 a year.
Related articles
Mining giant wrongly retrenched coal workers says authority
Central Qld mines pause work for permanent shirts
Coal employees stop work early for pay rise
Axed coal employees awarded up to $290K after legal battle.
Add Comment