What a difference a year makes! Last May, the Mining and Energy Union (MEU) made the first NSW application under the Same Job Same Pay laws introduced by the Albanese Labor Government.
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 application was at Mt Pleasant mine, where the labour hire cohort was employed permanently with resulting $30,000 pay rises each.
Fast forward to today, and we have successful Same Job Same Pay orders at six coal mines in the NSW Northern District coalfields, amounting to a combined $24 million in annual pay rises. Applications at seven more sites, worth an estimated $35 million, are in the pipeline. Once these orders are issued, they will total nearly $60 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, mining companies are converting labour hire positions to permanent roles, reversing a decade-long trend.
For Iain, an experienced operator and MEU member at BHP’s Mt Arthur Coal, a Same Job Same Pay order meant he finally received a permanent position after eleven years working for a succession of labour hire companies at the mine. We have many members who are now able to move forward with their lives, including getting a home loan, due to increased job and income security.
There is still work to be done to entirely stamp out the misuse of labour hire in the mining industry. Some 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, we 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 MPs who have consistently spoken up for coal miners in Parliament.
May Day, celebrated on the 1st of May, is a time to reflect on the struggle and achievements of the organised working class.
May Day has its origins in the industrial revolution when many workers laboured long hours in dire conditions for very little pay.
Fuelling the industrial revolution, and the ensuing social transformation, was coal. Coal began to be mined in the Hunter Valley as early as 1800 – 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 Hunter Valley coal miners 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.
With the backing of a pro-worker Labor party in Government, we are witnessing real, meaningful reform before our eyes. 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 60 million reasons to celebrate May Day this year.
Robin Williams
District President MEU Northern Mining and NSW Energy
