What a difference a year makes! Last May, the Mining and Energy Union (MEU) locked in the very first win under Same Job Same Pay laws.
These laws were a direct result of legislative reforms driven by the ALP to ensure labour hire workers are paid the same as their directly employed counterparts for doing the same work. That first order was at Callide mine near Biloela, where over 300 labour hire workers took home a well-deserved pay rise of approximately $15,000 a year.
Fast forward to today, and we have successful Same Job Same Pay orders at four coal mines in the Queensland coalfields, amounting to a combined $15 million in annual pay rises. Applications at eight more sites, including for OS workers at BHP’s massive Queensland operations, are in the pipeline totalling to a whopping $155 million. Once these orders are issued, it will total $170 million a year in pay increases.
This extra money in workers’ pay packets is fantastic news for affected families and also boosts economic activity in our regional mining communities.
But it’s not just about the money. With the financial incentive for outsourcing jobs removed, many mining companies are converting labour hire positions to permanent roles, reversing a decade-long trend.
There is still work to be done to entirely stamp out the misuse of labour hire in the mining industry. Many Same Job Same Pay applications are still held up in the Fair Work Commission, with employers opposing them and using delaying tactics to buy time.
We are aware that mining companies will always look for new ways to exploit workers. But workers united through their Union, with the backing of a government that respects and supports working people, can achieve great things.
In April, the MEU presented Prime Minister Albanese with a miners’ lamp recognising the significance of this reform, which his government implemented despite vocal opposition from the mining industry. We thank him and our local Labor representatives like Queensland Senator and Industrial Relations Minister Murray Watt who have consistently spoken up for coal miners in Parliament.
May is when we celebrate Labour Day in Queensland, a public holiday prescribed over a century ago and celebrated on the first Monday in May, is a time to reflect on the struggle and achievements of the organised working class.
It’s a special day for coal miners. Coal was central the industrial revolution, which transformed our society but also saw workers labour for long hours in dire conditions. Coal began to be mined in Queensland in the 1840s at Ipswich, before shifting to the Bowen Basin in the early decades of the twentieth century – and from the earliest days of convict labour and the first trade unions, coal miners have organised and demanded better conditions.
When we compare today’s Queensland coal miners to those of the early days of the industry, we can see how over a century of collective action and organising through the union has improved the position of workers, their families and communities.
While at the time of writing we are yet to know the outcome of the 3 May federal election, over the last three years with the backing of a pro-worker Labor party in Government, we have seen real, meaningful reform before our eyes. We are hopeful for a re-election of the Albanese Government to ensure Same Job Same Pay is implemented in full.
Labour Day is always a big day in Queensland mining communities. With Same Job Same Pay now a reality for many in our mining industry – with many more to benefit before the year is out – we have even more reason to celebrate this year.
Mitch Hughes
President Mining and Energy Union Queensland District
