The Grosvenor coal mine workforce will be paid as normal until September as site owner Anglo American comes to grips with the ramifications of the underground fire that started last weekend.

Anglo American Australia chief executive officer Daniel van der Westhuizen shared the pay decision today along with an update on efforts to stabilise the situation at the Bowen Basin site.

“We are making significant progress in the temporary sealing of Grosvenor mine,” he said.

“We have now sealed Shaft 5 which was our last major source of oxygen ingress, and the Queensland Mines Rescue Service GAG unit continues to operate well. This means the mine continues to move to a more stable position.”

The inertisation (GAG) unit (pictured above in operation at Grosvenor) injects exhaust gas via a mine shaft to starve the underground fire of the oxygen it needs to burn.

The Grosvenor workforce was evacuated on Saturday after coal gas ignited at the Moranbah district mine, which was also the site of an underground gas explosion in 2020 that seriously injured five workers.

Mr van der Westhuizen confirmed the Grosvenor workforce payments already announced to July 15 had been extended until August 31 for all full-time employees and embedded contractors in operations or staff roles.

This would give the business time to understand the ongoing permanent workforce requirements at Grosvenor and redeployment opportunities, he said.

Mining and Energy Union Queensland district president Mitch Hughes said that Anglo had done the right thing by working co-operatively with unions and exploring all options to keep the site’s 1400 workers employed. 

In addition to committing to redeploying workers to its other operations where possible, Anglo is working with the broader industry to secure jobs for Grosvenor workers.  

“This has been an extremely difficult and traumatic week for the Grosvenor workforce. It’s a relief that workers can go into the weekend knowing they have financial security for the immediate term and will receive support to secure their ongoing employment,” Mr Hughes said.

“By working together, we have come up with a plan that will reassure workers that they are not simply being discarded. 

“We will continue working closely with members and the company to ensure individuals are supported with options that work for them and their families; and that commitments are followed through.”

Groups join forces in industry-first response

An industry-first working group has been formed, consisting of senior leaders from Anglo American Steelmaking Coal and senior representatives from all unions covering the company’s operations in Queensland.

Anglo American and Isaac Regional Council along with the Mining & Energy Union, Electrical Trades Union, Collieries Staff and Officials Association and Australian Manufacturing Workers Union issued a joint statement this afternoon.

“We are committed to working together to create continuous job opportunities and minimise uncertainty for our impacted workforce by sharing expertise and developing options for addressing these challenges,” they stated.

They noted plans to collaborate with industry peers to prioritise employment opportunities for impacted employees and contractors across the Bowen Basin and New South Wales.

This includes working with the Minerals Council of Australia, Minerals Council of NSW, and Queensland Resources Council.

Opposition spokesman for Natural Resources and Mines and Member for Burdekin Dale Last welcomed the news that Anglo American was extending direct financial support to their Grosvenor workforce until the end of August and that the industry would prioritise affected workers in their employment processes.

“This heralds a new era in collaboration and highlights how important it is that we retain and support our workers in the resource sector,” he said.

“While steps toward ensuring jobs for affected workers are now underway, it is vital that we get to the bottom of what caused this incident.  The investigation process is essential to ensure that we learn from the incident with a goal to continuously improve the safety of Queensland’s mines.”

Below: How the Queensland Mines Rescue Service GAG unit works …

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