® CFMEU Mining and Energy COMMONCAUSE Strong Union. Safer Workplace. www.cfmeu.com.au www.ourjobs.org.au VOL 81 NO. 1 FEBRUARY/ MARCH 2015 Reopening Norwich Park coal mine – from BHP secret internal briefing paper for BHP: “….. the success of the project will be dependent on being able to operate the mine efficiently while using labour that is paid significantly less than is currently the case at surrounding existing operations. A strong desire has been expressed that labour should be sourced from lower paying areas outside of Queensland (Adelaide, Melbourne for example). They are likely to try and leverage off the labour model used at Norwich Park to generate lower cost labour models at their other operations.” REGISTERED BY AUSTRALIA POST PP 243184/00025 POST AUSTRALIA BY REGISTERED Helping industry return their workers home, healthy and safe every day. In 2013-14, Coal Services partnered with industry to ensure a safe workplace and a healthy workforce. Mines Rescue • 550 skilled Brigadesmen response ready and around 60,000 training hours dedicated to building safety leaders for the NSW coal industry. Coal Mines Insurance • Paid $71.8 million towards compensation and treatment costs to support injured workers through their injury recovery and return to work. CS Health • Completed 11,457 pre-placement and periodic health surveillance medicals to monitor the health of the workforce and protect against occupational disease. Regulation & Compliance • Conducted respirable and inhalable dust sampling on 4,660 workers across every coal mine sites in NSW, including surface and underground operations and coal handling plants. www.coalservices.com.au 2014 Issue 04 - CSPL Stats.indd 1 25/07/2014 12:26:00 PM General President Tony Maher Reports CFMEU’s key role in Queensland and Victorian election wins hanks to the magnificent and the systematic destruction of our now in the Queensland Parliament role played by members of mining communities. committed to a fair go for our mining Tour CFMEU, the people of When Newman surprised everyone communities, we reserve a special Queensland and Victoria can look with his early election call during the mention for two from our own ranks, Summer holidays, our Queensland Jo-Ann Miller and Jimmy Pearce. forward to a brighter future with the District hit the road running by issuing a Jo-Ann was one of the seven removal of the LNP governments in Fair Go Pledge for mining communities. Labor MPS who survived the last anti- these States. It became a key campaigning tool in Labor landslide. She represents the Make no mistake about it – our the regional electorates. It called on the Ipswich community, the birthplace of Union members played a key role on community to “tell local candidates that Queensland’s coal industry. She comes the ground in delivering these election if they want us to put them first….they from a long family line of coal miners victories. In both States, the LNP must commit to putting us first”. and did an outstanding job as the slandered the CFMEU with all sorts of The Fair Go Pledge for regional Shadow Minister for Mining in the past outrageous accusations in an attempt communities called on candidates to few tough years. She has chosen to be Helping industry return their workers home, to demonise the entire trade union publicly commit to: a member of our Union and is now a movement and scare people away from • Secure permanent jobs available senior Cabinet Minister. voting Labor. to all and an end to discrimination Jimmy Pearce is a former healthy and safe every day. But the public proved too smart to against local employment. underground coal miner and Lodge fall for it and saw these scare tactics • Contract and labour hire limited leader in our Union. He served over 20 for the desperate fraud the LNP to genuine peaks and flows in years in State Parliament before retiring In 2013-14, Coal Services partnered with industry to ensure a safe governments were trying to perpetrate. production. a few years ago. In the time since While the Victorian election result • Freedom of Choice for FIFO workers then, Jimmy worked as a Community workplace and a healthy workforce. consigned the LNP as a rare one-term to move their families into our Advocate with our Union before government, the Queensland outcome communities. deciding to re-enter the political fray Mines Rescue was the most spectacular in Australian • Investment in apprenticeships and after Labor’s last election debacle. But history. Reduced to just seven MPs traineeships to build skills, provide Jimmy chose no easy road. He put his • 550 skilled Brigadesmen response ready and around 60,000 training hours dedicated to building out of a Parliament of 89 at the last opportunities for young people and hand up for the seat of Mirani, held safety leaders for the NSW coal industry. State election, the worst in Australia’s prevent future skills shortages. by the LNP since 1947 withstanding history, it was expected it would take a • Mining companies and camp owners even the Labor onslaughts of the Goss series of elections for Labor to stand a support for businesses in local towns. and Beattie years. But Jimmy won it Coal Mines Insurance snowball’s chance in hell of re-election. • Fairer investment in our regional handsomely for Labor. He is also a Life community and social infrastructure. Member of our Queensland District. • Paid $71.8 million towards compensation and treatment costs to support injured workers through That Labor recovered so dramatically is due to the hard and Within a few days some 22 We are confident that with people their injury recovery and return to work. consistent work done on the ground candidates from Labor and the Katter of the calibre and commitment of Jo- Australia Party signed up. Not a single Ann and Jimmy and many of the their by many organisations, including our LNP candidate did. Of the 22 who colleagues, that Queensland is facing a CFMEU members in mining, energy signed our Union’s Fair Go Pledge, brighter future and we look forward to CS Health and construction. 14 were elected. working with them to deliver a fairer go • Completed 11,457 pre-placement and periodic health surveillance medicals to monitor the health of For us the stakes were high. The While we congratulate all who are for all Australians. the workforce and protect against occupational disease. Newman Government delivered carte blanche for big business interests like BHP. It facilitated aggressive companies Regulation & Compliance in their attacks on workers and our • Conducted respirable and inhalable dust sampling on 4,660 workers across every coal mine sites communities. This was especially so in regional Queensland and it is here that in NSW, including surface and underground operations and coal handling plants. our Mining and Energy members played a decisive role in campaigning. Congratulations to our Queensland members who stood up and rallied community support for a fair go from mining. All credit to those who exposed and fought the attacks on New senior Cabinet Minister Jo-Ann Miller Jimmy Pearce pictured with his signed Fair www.coalservices.com.au mineworkers jobs, our rights at work pictured with her signed Fair Go Pledge. Go Pledge. VOL 81 NO.1 FEBRUARY/ MARCH 2015 COMMON CAUSE 3 2014 Issue 04 - CSPL Stats.indd 1 25/07/2014 12:26:00 PM General Secretary Andrew Vickers Reports Cost-cutting mining bosses a real danger to workers safety and health s our industry mourns the tell of employees who have been year’s Sona coal mine disaster in Turkey loss of another coal miner directed to change statements on that took the lives of 301 workers. Akilled on the job, it is time incidents that have occurred. In all these cases it was the to reflect on the recent spate of This attempt to impose a climate of ruthless drive for profits at the expense fatalities and accidents that are fear on the workforce undermines our of people that killed these miners. occurring as mining bosses put very health and safety. It is all very well Our Union is telling our members massive pressure on all workers to for the corporate chiefs sitting safely to never compromise on safety. If cut costs and boost production. in their ivory towers to pressure their something does not feel safe, don’t With the death of 50-year old underlings down the company chain be pressured into doing it. If you are Stephen Cave at Anglo’s Dawson mine to cut corners and save on costs. But involved in an accident or an incident, in Central Queensland on 16 February, it is our members and others at the report it. There is no more important another two children and a partner are coalface who bear the real cost through issue for our Union than the health and left to pick up the pieces after the loss a less safe working environment. safety or our members. That is why of a loved one. Stephen is the third coal All this is happening at a time across the entire CFMEU we continue miner to be killed at an Anglo coal mine of record production and exports in to promote our national campaign – in Queensland in the past 10 months. the coal industry. The giant mining Stand up. Speak out. Come home. We Paul Maguire died in May last year and companies are not making the windfall will support you all the way in this and Ian Downes was killed in December, profits they were at the height of the you’ll never walk alone. both at Anglo’s Grasstree mine in boom a few years ago, but they still Central Queensland.