NSW South Western District

The Mining and Energy Union remains determined to give members a say on their future in the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union despite a Federal Court decision today disallowing an initial application for a demerger ballot on technical grounds.

In the July 2022 issue of Common Cause:

Permanent jobs win at Grosvenor

Raw chicken, green calamari and mouldy sandwiches?

Analysis of five coal mining electorates has found a stunning $989 million has been lost from local economic activity due to aggressive wage cutting-strategies by mining companies.

Assertions made by the Minerals Council of Australia this week about rates of permanent mining jobs are misleading and cover up the rampant use of insecure labour hire across the industry, the Mining and Energy Union said today.

ABS figures on rates of casualisation in the mining industry don’t tell the full story because they exclude the large proportion of the workforce employed through labour hire companies.

Australia’s biggest thermal coal producer – Glencore - made loads of money in 2021 on the back of high coal prices in particular, and is forecasting another great year in 2022. But it still plans to be out of coal entirely by 2050, and winding back production well before then.

Russell's message about job security and fairness

In the latest Common Cause: Power workers blindsided, BHP's coal bonanza, failure to prosecute over Grosvenor blast and more.

2021 was another big year. Check out our top stories of wins, highlights and challenges in our Common Cause Year in Review magazine.

Read it here.

It is with heavy hearts that we mark the passing of Miners Federation legend Fred Moore. Fred Moore passed away peacefully at home with family by his side. He was 99 years old.

Fred started working in mines in western NSW aged 14 but moved to Dapto in the 1950s and worked in Southern District coal mines, where he became an activist within the Miners Federation and broader South Coast union movement. He passed away in the same home in Dapto he moved to all those years ago.

December 2021 Common Cause: New Lodge at Grosvenor, Tragedy at Curragh, Same Job Same Pay, new ad campaign, Mt Arthur vax win explained, and more.