The 19th of September is a day of reflection for our Union and community, as we recognise the lives lost through the history of the Queensland coalfields at the annual Miners Memorial Day. Recent tragedies have brought the importance of these events into renewed focus.

John Linwood was killed on 22 August when the light vehicle he was driving collided with a 200-tonne haul truck, while Chris Schloss was killed on 3 August during work to extend the mining camp, when a pick and carry crane tipped.

These terrible events have left two families irrevocably damaged and dozens of workers traumatised. On behalf of the Union, I extend condolences to the affected families and workmates.

MEU Industry Safety and Health Representatives immediately attended the site following both these fatalities. In the wake of John Linwood’s death, the MEU ISHRs and Resources Safety Health Queensland (RSHQ) issued directives to suspend the use of all heavy vehicles at the mine. The directives were lifted in response to demonstrated compliance with the relevant safety processes, however operations at Byerwen will remain under scrutiny while investigations into the causes and circumstances of the fatalities continue.

These tragedies reinforce that workplace safety is an ongoing struggle to uphold and improve standards. It is also a reminder of the deep human cost that is borne by the workers in our industry, taken prematurely not just through accidents at work, but on the roads surrounding their worksites, or through chronic health effects like black lung.

Held every 19 September, the Miners Memorial Day commemorates the workers who have lost their lives in Queensland’s mining industry. The date marks the anniversary of the Mt Mulligan explosion, Queensland’s worst industrial disaster, which took the lives of 75 mine workers in 1921.

The service is an opportunity for the mining community to come together, remember our history and support grieving families. It allows us to mourn as one and show our deep respect to those workers who never made it home at the end of the day.

However, the Memorial Day is also an opportunity to recognise the advocacy that has followed deaths in the coal industry. Each substantial improvement to safety was won through the activism of the workers who put their lives at risk. We must recognise that modern safety standards did not come cheaply but were paid for in blood, from the earliest days of our industry to recent times.

We have recently received the welcome news that labour hire company Mastermyne will be prosecuted over the death of coal miner Graham Dawson at Crinum underground mine in 2021. This will be the first industrial manslaughter prosecution in mining since laws were extended to the industry in 2020.

We formally requested the Health and Safety Prosecutor to pursue charges in 2022, and while it has taken some time, we’re glad to see it done. The very least that mineworkers deserve is to know that if they suffer serious injury or lose their lives; that someone will be held to account.

While no charges can truly make up for the tragic loss of life, we welcome the announcement of finally holding those responsible to account. I hope the news brings some small comfort to Graham’s loved ones and workmates.

The MEU is committed to upholding and improving safety standards in our industry. Far too often, complacency or production pressures have caused safety to lapse, with workers paying the price. It is up to us to stand together and push for better safety standards through the Union, until every worker returns to their loved ones safely at the end of a shift.

Mitch Hughes

President Mining and Energy Union Queensland District