Call to release miners before disaster strikes home

There’s been a call for mines to review their HR policies covering the release of workers whose homes are in the road of forecast disasters. It’s come from state vice president of the Mining and Energy Union Brodie Brunker who said workers were kept on some sites during the rain event this month in North Queensland while being needed by their families who were facing the consequences of torrential rain. The damage is being compared to the 2019 wet season when flooding delivered a bill of more than $1 billion. Main image (click for drone vision) The Burdekin Bridge in flood over Macrossan Bridge west of Townsville. Courtesy Charters Towers Regional Council Workers on some coal sites in the northern Bowen Basin were released too late to make it home in front of road closures that cut the Bruce Highway both south and north of Townsville, Mr Brunker said. The Macrossan Bridge on th Burdekin River between Townsville and Charters Towers was also cut. The MEU understood that parts of the mine needed to be kept going, Mr Brunker said. “Each mine will make their own determination on the required number of employees required to maintain operations if there is a break in the weather,” he said. “Our concern is that people are withheld from leaving site to go and secure their properties which then puts their properties at risk, whether it be flood or cyclone. “It's usually the last minute and we talk a lot about reasonably achievable risks, but then employees are expected to drive home through severe weather.” Companies needed both to give workers a reasonable time to get home and allow access to paid leave options, Mr Brunker said. “Knowing the weather predictions. Townsville, for example, they knew there was more rain coming, that levels on the roads were going up and down. “It'd have to be a case-by-case basis. I accept that. But just be a bit more reasonable with when they release employees and understanding that those employees may have to use their annual leave. “… being reasonable, we would expect that they have access to their leave, which in some cases I'm dealing with now, that's not the case.” The 20,000 strong FiFo and DiDo Bowen Basin coal mining workforce came from all regional centres and many smaller rural towns across the state, Mr Brunker said. While some companies were releasing workers on annual leave provisions, others conduct training and other governance procedures in order to minimise downtime in the dry, he said.

Call to release miners before disaster strikes home

Industry Queensland

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