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Queensland miners to get pay rise

RSHQ: Preventing a ‘pattern’ leading to mine fatalities

Hundreds of labour hire workers at Batchfire’s Callide coal mine in central Queensland are in line for a pay rise under the new ‘same job, same pay’ laws.

The Fair Work Commission decided in favour of the pay rise under the ‘Closing Loopholes’ legislation, with almost 350 workers set to be affected.

This will see the labour hire worker’s pay matched to that of the Batchfire enterprise agreement and will come into effect from November 1.

Queensland Mining and Energy Union president Mitch Hughes said it’s great to see labour hire workers put on the same rate as their full-time counterparts.

“The Fair Work Commission has determined that labour hire workers are performing the same work as direct employees and issued an order to stop labour hire workers being paid less,” Hughes said.

“The whole mining production workforce at Callide enthusiastically supported this same job, same pay application. They are ecstatic to be the first worksite in Australia to receive a same job, same pay order.”

In response to an application by the MEU, the Fair Work Commission has determined that it must make a ‘regulated labour hire arrangement’ covering Batchfire Callide and Workpac – the labour hire provider – and set a ‘protected rate of pay’ in line with the Batchfire enterprise agreement.

Of about 560 production operators at Callide, around 40 per cent are directly employed with the remainder employed by Workpac.

It will be up to Batchfire and Workpac to ensure that they comply with the ‘protected rate of pay’ at the Callide mine and deliver pay rises as required from November 1.

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