voice of employers in the resources sector ACTIVITIES REPORT 2008 AMMA’s Chief Executive Steve Knott and Director Workplace Policy Christopher Platt present AMMA’s submission at the first day of the AIRC Award Modernisation hearings Photo courtesy of the AIRC Contents President’s Report 1 Chief Executive’s Report 3 AMMA Statement 5 AMMA Board 7 AMMA Team 8 Workplace Policy 9 Board Reference Group Members 12 Operations 13 Education and Training 17 Membership, Communications and Media 23 Resources Sector Employee Relations Statistics 26 AMMA Members 29 AMMA thanks its member companies Xstrata, Woodside, TMS, BMA and Newmont for the photos used in this Report. President’s Report The global financial crisis is going to test for greater continuity in the industrial relations 1 the tenacity of the Australian economy and landscape. With that in mind, it is pleasing to ACTIVITIES REPO Australian businesses – a challenge that the see a renewed commitment of the Council of resources sector is well placed to manage Australian Governments towards increased but which heightens the necessity for sound harmonisation and the continuation of specific government policy decisions. industrial relations reform measures designed to offer business effective redress from R Years of investment in the development of new T 2008 damaging strikes. projects and expansion of existing projects in the resources sector has put Australia in good AMMA continues to promote a well balanced stead to withstand the full effects of the US industrial relations system that maintains sub-prime mortgage crisis. Strong investment Australia’s high job growth, low industrial has increased export capacity and, buoyed by disputation levels and strong financial strong commodity prices and demand for most investment. AMMA’s submission of a of the year, the resources sector has achieved comprehensive and flexible draft Mining Industry record levels in export earnings and has assisted Safety Net Award – an approach taken by no Australia to reach its second-biggest trade other party – has set the standard in the award surplus on record. modernisation process and the unified approach The outlook remains positive based on a of the AMMA membership in this process is to record listing of 341 resources sector projects; be commended. A favourable response to the but many projects still require decisions on draft award by the Australian Industrial Relations investment before they proceed to development. Commission is a powerful endorsement of There is every possibility that these investment AMMA’s industrial influence. decisions may be curtailed on the back of the The new government has actively sought global financial crisis and potentially reduced AMMA’s views on a broad range of employment- business investment confidence. This highlights related matters. AMMA has also actively the importance of having a robust workplace relations system in place and measures to represented members’ interests on the National address current capacity constraints caused by Workplace Relations Consultative Council and infrastructure bottlenecks and skills shortages. the Committee on Industrial Legislation. The election of a new government armed with Continuing its strong support for a tough a new industrial relations policy agenda at the industry regulator in the building and end of 2007 has continued the debate about construction industry, AMMA released an the best way to regulate the workplace. AMMA extensive discussion paper, Building Industry has witnessed the industrial relations pendulum Regulator: a tough cop or a return to toothless swing over the years, noting back in 1999 in its tiger, and called on the government to retain a Beyond Enterprise Bargaining report the need tough cop on the beat in the national interest. Eve Howell AMMA President The skilled labour shortage in Australia has organisational productivity improvements. required the increased use of foreign skilled AMMA’s advisory services will continue to 2 labour. This increased activity raised a range support members in their endeavours. ACTIVITIES REPO of political and industrial issues. Again AMMA, with the assistance of its members, was able AMMA has continued to grow its membership to lobby government and assist members to in 2008, with 38 new companies joining the Association. The size and diversity of the address the difficulties experienced by membership base continues to ensure an members utilising the migration program. R effective and authoritive representation of T 2008 Recognising the inevitable shift towards national employers in the resources sector. occupational health and safety regulation, This past year has offered many challenges AMMA’s newly established Health, Safety and that AMMA and its staff have met with vigour Environment Advisory Group will ensure the and continued professionalism. Together with interests of AMMA’s broad membership base the support of AMMA’s membership, AMMA are adequately represented in the development will head into 2009 in a position of of model occupational health and safety laws. significant strength. AMMA’s Education and Training Division continues to provide quality services to members and has delivered training programmes to several thousand participants to support the continued success of the resources sector. Nationally- accredited training, from Certificate 1 through to Associate Diploma level courses, will continue to be in high demand in 2009. The year has been a busy year for AMMA’s employee relations and human resource management advisory services as members transited to a system without the capacity to make new Australian Workplace Agreements. Contingency plans for the new industrial relations legislative environment that will take effect in 2010 will again ensure an active advisory environment during 2009. The slowing world economy, global financial crisis and reducing commodity prices impacting on the resources sector now and in the months ahead have increased members’ pursuit of further Chief Executive’s Report We are likely to remember 2008 as the year Communications and Media Division has 3 of paradigm shifts: it is the year that saw kept members informed of the fast changing ACTIVITIES REPO comprehensive overhauls of our workplace environment through frequent electronic relations system on the national front as circulars, online and face-to-face member well as unprecedented growth, followed by forums, as well as our celebrated annual unprecedented contraction, in the global National Conference. economy. Keeping abreast of local changes and A significant feature of the post January 2010 R anticipating the impact of global developments T 2008 on issues as wide ranging as climate change landscape includes a return to industry awards, and fiscal policy presented many challenges for which will be restored as a primary safety net. our members. AMMA, celebrating its 90th year In order to ensure that the resources sector’s in 2008, has been well positioned to support international competitiveness is not threatened and advise our membership throughout these by a claw back of the hard-won flexibilities turbulent times. achieved to date, AMMA has invested significant resources in representing our members’ The new Labor government started the interests in the award modernisation process. introduction of its workplace relations reform We were successful in achieving priority award agenda early in the year through the Forward status for the mining industry and our Workplace with Fairness Transitional provisions (no new Policy Division worked tirelessly to produce a Australian Workplace Agreements) followed modern, succinct and flexible award that will shortly afterwards by the exposure draft on the allow all mining industry employers to maintain new proposed National Employment Standards. current flexibilities in working arrangements. AMMA has been intricately involved in these Significantly, the Australian Industrial Relations legislative processes through its participation on Commission has adopted much of what AMMA the National Workplace Relations Consultative has proposed and a good foundation has been Council as well as the Committee on Industrial laid for the other industry awards that have been Legislation. scheduled for modernisation in the latter half of 2008 and in 2009. AMMA’s knowledge of the emerging legislation positioned the Association to provide timely The challenges for our members have, and authoritative advice to our members however, not been limited to the legislative as our consulting staff assisted members front. Continuing skills shortages have seen a in the transition to the new workplace renewed commitment amongst our members to relations landscape. AMMA members have the upskilling and training of their most valuable benefited from strategic advice provided resource, their people. AMMA’s Education and by our Operations Division to position their Training Division delivered training to thousands organisations both prior and post January 2010, of participants in 43 locations across Australia when the Labor government’s policy agenda is and New Zealand, with a majority of these set to be implemented in full. Our Membership, locations being our members’ operational sites. Steve Knott Chief Executive We have also remained responsive to industry needs and introduced numerous new training 4 workshops, with a specific focus on upskilling ACTIVITIES REPO frontline managers. Our alignment with industry needs will be further strengthened through our recently established