Closing Byerwen mine camp could have multimillion-dollar consequences
“This is all about people having the choice of where to live. We have workers who currently choose to live in Glenden. But forcing us to close the camp and make workers live there is outrageous. No one in the government asked the miners where they want to live. It’s a disgrace,” he says.
ERQ spokesperson Paul Turner.
Byerwen is a drive-in, drive-out mine that employs people from Townsville, Mackay, Collinsville, Whitsunday and Bowen.
“These workers are on 12.5-hour shifts, seven days on, seven days off and already live in regional towns. They want to stay in the camp,” says Turner.
Mine-worker safety is paramount for ERQ. Having to travel long distances to and from the mine each day, in addition to the long working day, threatens workers’ safety, it asserts.
About more than just ‘accommodation’
The coking coal mined in the Bowen basin is exported to destinations across Asia, including Japan, Korea and China, and ERQ says that the decision to close the Byerwen camp could threaten commercial contracts to these regions.
Scott Ada is the director and general manager of the Brisbane branch of Japan’s second-largest steel producer, JFE Shoji Australasia. He says as a buyer of coking coal, stable supply is vital.
“One of the things that underpins stable supply is the workforce that you’re able to attract to the mine. So, anything that puts that in jeopardy is a big issue for us. We want to create an environment where workers can come to work and do their job safely and go home at night. That leads to stability of production and supply for our steel plants,” he says.
ERQ is concerned about the mine’s ability to attract workers in the future if they are forced to travel hours each day to get to and from work, only to spend their leisure time in a town bereft of amenities.
ERQ says it could lose up to 70 per cent of the workforce at Byerwen should the mine camp close.
“If you tell people they have to move to Glenden, more than 70 per cent will leave the mine because it won’t suit their lifestyle,” says Jason McCallum, an executive general manager with mining contractor Macmahon, which is also a QCoal partner at Byerwen.
“Freedom of choice is the most valuable thing we can offer our employees. If we take choice away from them, then they will take their employment away from us,” he warns.
ERQ will continue to engage the public on this issue in the lead-up to the Queensland state election.
> read more at © BrisbaneTimes
Views: 2