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CFMEU - Mine Training
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25 years of Improved Miner Safety celebrated this week
Queensland’s Mining Union is celebrating its 25th year of Mine Safety training for Coal Miners in the
Mackay region this week. The Union conducts this latest 5-day training seminar for Coal Miners from companies such as BHP, Peabody, Anglo and Xstrata - at a time when safety issues are front and centre of the challenges confronting the industry after a number of recent accidents and deaths.
“This training is critical to improving the safety of our region’s Miners” Greg Dalliston, District Union Inspector said today.
“We are extremely proud of the miners who step up to the plate and take on formal safety roles on site, roles which are recognised under Queensland Mine Safety Legislation and roles which save lives.” Mr Dalliston said.
Queensland’s Chief Inspector of Coal Mines Gavin Taylor and a number of Mines Inspectorate personnel are presenting at the seminar along with Crown Law Barrister John Tate, who has extensive experience in legal issues confronting Safety operatives after Assisting Coronial Inquests into the deaths of Miners In Queensland.
“One of the most critical issues confronting the Mining Industry at the moment is managing the fatigue in long shift working Miners, with many companies seeking to squeeze longer and longer shifts out of already stretched miners.” Mr Dalliston said.
The Union’s safety seminar participants will hear the latest on fatigue issues from Internationally acclaimed Expert, Associate Professor Naomi Rogers from the Faculty of Medicine in the Brain & Mind Research Institute of the University of Sydney.
Mr Dalliston, one of Queensland’s foremost coal mine safety experts, along with the unions two other District Union Inspectors, Tim Whyte and Chris Gilbert organise and facilitate the 5-day seminar annually.
“Important subjects covered include managing gas monitoring to prevent explosions, implementing the Jason Blee Coronial Inquest findings after his tragic death in 2007, chemical exposure, shuttle car safety, human factors relating to incident investigation, legislative change, minimising risk and ergonomic injury challenges,”
“Often we, as a community, forget the everyday safety threats faced by our Miners. These courses are about doing everything possible to get them home safely to their families.” He said
“Whilst mining is still one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, these training events remind us what a critical role the Union has played making our Coal Mines Safer over the last 25 years.”
“As a Union we have invested millions of dollars in improving the safety of Coal Miners work and pushed the industry for substantial improvements in safety practice.” He said.
“At the end of the day this means more Miners are getting home to their families safely”
“However, at a time or unprecedented demand and investment in Mining in our region, the safety challenges for our Miners are becoming greater and the need for safety training and vigilance even more important” Mr Dalliston said.
For Comment: Greg Dalliston, CFMEU District Union Inspector (Safety and Health)– 0418 983 307. Further information: Richard Alcorn 0419 654 936 Interviews available: 41 Brisbane Street, Mackay
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CFMEU - Mining Tax Deal
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“This deal secures 90% of the revenue it originally sort, it satisfies the concerns raised by the industry and it will put a line under the uncertainty created by the mining industry’s campaign against the previous tax.” Jim Valery, Secretary of the Mining Union said.
“We note support for this deal coming from big industry players like BHP, Rio Tinto and Xstrata”
The Mineral Resource Rent Tax:
• Now applies to only about 300 companies, down from a few thousand companies;
• It only applies to Coal and Iron Ore;
• The rate drops from 40% to 30%;
• The tax only kicks in after companies have received a return on their investment 12%, up from6%;
• It will secure $10.5 billion extra for much needed infrastructure and other community
investment.
“This agreement with the industry also shows that outrageous claims about jobs and investment
losses, were simply not true.” Valery said.
“This is a deal which secures a fairer share of the billions of dollars being made by mining companies from resources which belong to the Australian people”,
“This means 10.5 billion dollars of extra revenue over the coming years, some of which will be returned to vital mining communities and our important regional mining centres like Mackay,Rockhampton and Gladstone.” he said.
The CFMEU Mining and Energy Division has previously called on the government to allocate
significant amounts from the new tax to regional mining communities.
“As a Union we find it extraordinary that while the industry now supports this compromise – the federal opposition is now left on the fringes of this debate opposing this deal, opposing tax cuts for small business and opposing a rise in super benefits from 9 to 12% for Australian working families “We call on the federal opposition to support this deal, which will secure millions extra for individual mining communities, delivers a tax cut for small business and raises superannuation from 9 to 12%, which is a much needed boost to retirement incomes for our members and the community at large.”
Mr Valery said.
For Comment: Jim Valery, District Secretary, CFMEU Mining and Energy 0427 415 708
Further information: Richard Alcorn 0419 654 936
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Abbott out of touch on skills
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Abbott out of touch on skills
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Mining Union: Abbott Out of Touch on Mining Skills
Shortage Debate
Queensland’s Mining Union has today accused federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott of being desperately out of touch with the needs of Queensland’s regions after he proposed using people on the dole to fix another skills shortage in the Mining Industry.
“These comments demonstrate exactly why we had a skills crisis during the Howard Government’s time in office – they are short sighted, misguided and won’t provide solutions to an economic and training investment issue.” Stuart Vaccaneo, Senior Vice President of the CFMEU Mining and Energy Union said today.
“To be frank, this is just another media line, dressed up as policy, this is not a serious contribution to genuine economic problem which requires Australia to invest heavily in training new apprentices if we are going to meet future demand.
“What we need is real solutions to the upcoming skills shortage, not more of the same policies which let our regions down on training and apprentices during the Howard years.” He said “The real question is, when are we going to see some real policy from Mr Abbott? “The resources sector will drive Australia’s economic growth for the next 20-30 years but all Mr Abbott seems to do at the moment is wander around stirring up fear about immigrants and the unemployed. “That’s not going to help Queensland’s Mining Regions grow more prosperous. It’s just a distraction,and the sad thing is – Mr Abbott knows that.
The CFMEU Mining and Energy has been calling for increased investment in local apprenticeship schemes from mining companies in Queensland’s regions and a genuine discussion about how we can prevent a skills shortage from harming economic growth in vital mining regions across Australia. “Lets have a real debate about the future of one of our most important industries, not a sideshow on who is tougher on disadvantaged people.” Mr Vaccaneo said.
For comment: Stuart Vaccaneo, Senior Vice-President, CFMEU Mining and Energy Division 0418 885 360
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Union hits back at dangerous safety spin BMA
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Union hits back at dangerous safety spin BMA
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Press Release
Queensland’s Mining Union has today hit back at what it describes as Orwellian Corporate Double Speak from BHP Mitsubishi Alliance and the Queensland Resources Council after they continued to deny the secret implementation of a 14 to 16 hour shift length for dangerous consecutive 14¬day periods. (Attached New BMA Fatigue Policy)
“BMA, one of Australia’s largest coal miners, has made a deliberate move away from 12 hour shift lengths and they are trying to spin the media and the community into thinking they’re not.” Jim Valery, District Secretary of the CFMEU Mining and Energy Union said today.
The Union has called on BMA and the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) to come clean with the Queensland community on their secret plan to increase shift lengths.
“If they have no plan to implement this new Fatigue standard of 14 hour shifts, for 14 consecutive days, with 16 hour maximums, then we call on BMA to rule out these dangerous increases to working hours at the site level at any time in the future.” Mr Valery said.
“We all recognise there will be one off exceptional circumstances where longer shifts are needed but this standard says its ok to do 14 hours for 14 days straight.” he said.
Mr Michael Roche, CEO of the QRC has said:
“What the company is doing is setting the standard for maximum working hours.”
“So day to day, back at the sites, no change in working hours, so it's all about setting the standards.”
Mr Valery said many questions remain unanswered by BMA and the QRC, including:
1 Why did BMA change their fatigue management policy from12¬hour maximums to 14¬16 hours, for potentially up to 14 consecutive days, if they have no intention of implementing this practice at the site level (ie. “no change on site”)?
2 Why does the new fatigue management standard say that it applies to all BMA sites if they have the no intention of it applying to BMA operations?
3 What new independent research has been commissioned to prove employees and the broader community will be safe at work and on our roads as a result?
4 How many more miners have to be seriously injured at work and how many more road tragedies does the community have to endure before the company changes its dangerous fatigue standard? Mr Valery asked.
“Fatigue Management Standards are supposed to be independent and based on the health and safety of Miners, not the bottom line of what is increasingly becoming a greedy multinational company.
“This is the most outrageous and disingenuous spin we have seen from a mining company and peak employer body – and it will lead to lives being put at risk.” Mr Valery said.
The CFMEU will be campaigning for the maintenance of 12¬hour shift maximums as a standard across the industry and lobbying the Queensland Mines Department and other coal companies to support this vitally important safety measure in the interests of Miners and the broader community.
Further information: Richard Alcorn 0419 654 936
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Longer Mining Shifts Dangerous for Miners and Community
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Longer Mining Shifts Dangerous for Miners and Community
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Press Release Mining Union: Longer Mining Shifts Dangerous for Miners and Community The Board of Management of Queensland’s Mining Union has today called on one of the State’s largest Coal Miners to back away from dangerous and potentially fatal shift lengths. Meeting in Mackay, the Union’s Board of Management made up of Miners from across the State, discussed BMA’s adoption of a fatigue management policy which would see shift lengths extended from 12 to 14 hours and in some cases 16 hours – for 14 consecutive days. “This is just outright dangerous for our Miners and the regional communities they live in.” CFMEU Mining and Energy District Secretary Jim Valery said today. “Our Board of Management today passed a resolution calling for an immediate end to the policy, “We already know one of the leading killers on our roads is fatigue and here is BMA, one of the biggest coal Miners in the Country, adopting an unsafe and dangerous fatigue policy.” “The entire Queensland Community should be outraged that BMA is so willing to put our Miners and broader community’s safety at risk, for the sake of extra profit.” Mr Valery said. The Union’s Board endorsed the use of all available resources to prevent the implementation of BMA’s “Fatigue Management Standards” in their sites and to prevent the spread of this practice across the industry. “Safety is just too important,” he said. “There is more than 20 billion dollars worth of new coal investment about to be undertaken through out Central Queensland and that doesn’t include the billions in expansion works planned by bigger existing players like BMA, Xstrata, Anglo and Peabody, “With such a healthy outlook you would think the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance would consider some of the other proactive measures it could take to assist their bottom line and the region, like; training more apprentices to deal with the impending skills shortage or contributing to better community infrastructure to deal with increased demand and usage, “But instead, they seem to be taking the low road of safety cuts through proposing dangerous shift lengths, “At a time when the coal industry is set for another rapid expansion, we need industry leaders to be adopting safer standards of work, not cowboy practices which put workers and the community at risk.” Mr Valery said. Further information: Richard Alcorn 0419 654 936
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