The Fair Work Commission has handed down its first ‘Same Job, Same Pay’ decision for a BHP mine which will see hundreds of labour hire workers’ wages boosted.
Same Job, Same Pay is enabled under the Closing Loopholes legislation and allows labour hire workers, or their union on their behalf, to apply to be paid the full rate of pay as a comparable employee under the host employer’s enterprise agreement, where they are performing the same job.
The Mt Arthur coal mine in Muswellbrook, New South Wales, employs around 2000 workers, hundreds of which operate under labour hire agreements.
Under the Fair Work Commission’s decision to apply the Same Job, Same Pay legislation to the mine, labour hire workers will take in around $1000 per week more than they currently earn.
The changes to wages will take effect from March 7 2025. According to the Mining and Energy Union (MEU), BHP is reassessing employment contracts and has plans to employ around 200 labour hire workers as full time employees.
“That’s a massive $10 million a year that will go to Hunter workers, their families and the community,” MEU northern mining and NSW energy president Robin Williams said.
Production at Mt Arthur increased over 2024 thanks in large part to labour availability. BHP has plans to continue mining at Mt Arthur until 2030.
BHP is the second operator to make labour hire changes in recent weeks after Illawarra Coal agreed to employ 300 labour hire workers under new two-year fixed term roles at its Appin mine in New South Wales.
Workers will receive up to $20,000 more per year in line with their permanently employed counterparts.
Appin mine has been operating since 1962 and includes the merged Appin and Tower colleries. Like, Mt Arthur, most of Appin’s employees are local to the area.
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