News

If you want confirmation that our politics on energy and climate is truly cooked, look no further than the febrile reaction to BHP's announcement that it intends to work with customers along its supply chain to reduce carbon emissions.

A Liberal MP declared BHP is drunk on climate change "kool-aid" and wants to "demonise" coal.

Declining job security in coal mining has been identified as a major mine safety risk factor in a new survey of over 1,000 Queensland coal miners, as the state’s mine safety reset enters its second week.

Mining and quarry industry representatives, the Queensland Government and trade unions have today reached a landmark agreement committing to a safety reset in the Queensland resources sector.

CFMEU Mining and Energy Queensland President Steve Smyth said a number of critical issues were resolved in today’s meeting.

“Importantly, we now have a recognition from both industry and government that the culture around safety must change.

“We have achieved a commitment to tackle reckless behaviour in the workplace, and to put industrial manslaughter laws on the table.

The union representing coal miners has issued an urgent call on mining companies to redouble their checks on windrows at open cut mines after a spate of safety incidents, including a fatal accident.

Windrows are barriers built from earth designed to stop vehicles falling down edges within a mine. In Queensland they are called 'berms'.

A haul truck went through a windrow resulted in a miner's death at a quarry in WA last month, and this month a miner in Queensland was trapped for hours after his truck rolled from the top of a dump more than 30 metres high.

The CFMEU Mining & Energy Division is urging contract coal miners in the Illawarra region not to sign any employment agreements with PIMS Group, after the project manager backflipped on a deal to ensure decent wages and conditions at Appin Colliery.

Statement from Queensland District President Stephen Smyth

Queensland mineworkers are today heartbroken by the tragic death of a worker at Baralaba Mine, and the serious injuries to a worker at Glencore’s Collinsville Coal Mine.

On behalf of the whole Union, we extend our sincere condolences to the family friends and co-workers of the mineworker who was killed.

We also extend our deepest sympathy and best wishes to the mineworker who was critically injured.

Australia’s biggest coal companies have joined forces to slash mineworkers’ accident pay by a third.

BHP, AngloAmerican, Glencore, Peabody, Rio Tinto, South32, Centennial Coal, Yancoal and Whitehaven are all behind a successful employer push to cut provisions for injured workers in the Black Coal Mining Industry Award.

This week the Federal Court ruled against the Union’s appeal to overturn last year’s Fair Work Commission decision cutting the length of time injured workers are eligible to receive accidentpay from 78 to 52 weeks.

Statement from Queensland District President Stephen Smyth

The NSW Government’s approval today of mining leases to allow the Wallarah 2 Coal Project to proceed is a common sense decision that will boost regional jobs and business opportunities.

CFMEU Mining and Energy Northern District President Peter Jordan said the Wyong mine had ticked all the regulatory boxes and demonstrated it would comply with the high standards required of NSW coal developments.

“Our industry needs fair rules that are consistently applied to give operators, investors and workers some certainty,” said Mr Jordan.

Latest coal industry jobs data shows that coal jobs in NSW are at their highest level in five years, but growth isn’t delivering direct, permanent jobs.

NSW coal jobs data from Coal Services Pty Ltd for February 2019 (the most recent available) shows coal mining jobs have risen to just over 22,000 – the highest level since April 2014. The lowest figure was just under 19,000 in December 2016.