Contract worker dies at Simandou project

The Pilbara may see its first worker strike in decades as part of a major push from unions to re-enter the region. This week, the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) said it had applied for a protected action ballot covering 60 BHP (ASX: BHP) high-voltage workers — which the union says would mark the first industrial action at a major mining company in the Pilbara since the Fair Work Act took effect in 2009.The ballot follows a year of protracted negotiations between the employees and the company. The ETU says BHP workers are seeking their first workplace agreement, having been employed on disparate common-law contracts over the past two decades, with variance of more than 30% between people doing the same work.    ETU WA secretary Adam Woodage says the workers do an extraordinary job in tough conditions and remote locations. “For decades their employer has maintained a system of playing them off against one another with unequal individual contracts that provide no certainty or transparency, and place enormous power in the hands of individual managers to build empires through favouritism,” he said.  “ thought that the days of their employees taking industrial action in the Pilbara were history. They were wrong.”    These BHP workers are not the only ones pushing for change in the Pilbara. In February 2025, Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) workers launched a majority support petition to initiate bargaining at the company’s Paraburdoo iron ore operations. The Mining and Energy Union (MEU) says the petition was an initiative of the Western Mine Workers Alliance (WMWA), a joint venture of the MEU and the Australian Workers Union. MEU iron ore train drivers have also been part of the broader reunionisation push throughout the Pilbara, securing improved agreements with both Rio Tinto and BHP.   The BHP ballot marks a new phase in the push to rebuild union presence in the Pilbara — a region historically associated with militant unionism. During the 1970s, workers spent an average of more than 10 days a year on strike, according to the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA).  The decline of union power throughout the Pilbara began in the 1980s when mining company Peko-Wallsend moved against entrenched union work practises and agreements at the Robe River mine. By the 1990s and through the mining boom of the 2000s, the region was a union wasteland. The introduction of the Federal Government's Closing Loopholes reforms, enacted through the 2023 and 2024 Acts, represented a significant re-orientation of Australia’s workplace relations system and a major opportunity for unions across the country. According to the Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association (AREEA) the reforms shifted the balance away from enterprise-based negotiation, commercial certainty and clear workforce boundaries, and toward expanded arbitration, increased union leverage and greater regulatory discretion. As part of the reforms, new Same Job, Same Pay provisions were introduced into the Fair Work Act to ensure labour hire employees were paid at least the same as employees who are directly hired and are doing the same job. The ruling meant that more than 2000 labour hire workers at BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) coal mines in Queensland were set to receive significant pay rises.  BHP challenged the ruling in the Federal Court, as it would affect workers at its Goonyella Riverside, Peak Downs and Saraji coal operations in Queensland, but the Full Federal Court upheld the FWC’s decision in December 2025. BHP has since sought special leave to escalate its challenge to the High Court. The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is now advocating for the Same Job, Same Pay policy to cover additional employment conditions and to narrow the service contractor exemption — changes AREEA says would dramatically?expand the regime beyond what Australians were originally told it would do. AREEA chief executive Steve Knott AM says the Federal Government repeatedly assured the community that its policy would be limited to arrangements where labour hire was purportedly being used to undermine wage rates in certain workplaces. “This is no longer about ‘same job same pay’ for labour hire workers — it’s about the ACTU’s fantasy of creating ‘same employment package for everyone’, with no regard for how major projects and complex multi-employer workplaces actually operate,” he said. AREEA is concerned the push to broaden the regime ignored the well-established role of specialist contractors across Australia’s resources and energy sector.“Major LNG, mining and energy projects rely on specialist contractors delivering defined scopes of work such as maintenance, engineering and shutdown services,” Mr Knott said. “These are specialist service businesses performing defined work — they are not labour hire providers. “If unions succeed in collapsing that distinction, the FWC will effectively be asked to reshape how entire industries organise and contract work.“If Australia becomes a more expensive and inflexible place to deliver major projects, investment will simply flow to other jurisdictions — and the jobs will go with it.” 

Lifeline WA and Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) have entered a new four year partnership to support the hundreds of Western Australian volunteers who answer calls from people in crisis.The partnership will direct $1.8m to the agency, with $1.2m dedicated to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of the 540 Lifeline WA volunteer crisis supporters.This marks the first time a corporate partner has directly funded Lifeline WA's crisis supporter wellbeing program, which employs four dedicated part-time wellbeing officers to provide one-on-one debriefs, weekly check-ins and access to mental health resources for crisis supporters.The program also provides wellbeing activities, podcasts and training materials tailored to the unique pressures of crisis line volunteering.The partnership will also support Lifeline WA to deliver mental health outreach and training in regional communities, schools and frontline services across the state, helping build practical skills that stay long after each visit.Lifeline WA chief executive Lorna MacGregor says training a crisis supporter is a significant investment of time and resources.“But more than that, these are people who carry a profound emotional load for the good of our community,” she said.“Rio Tinto has been with us through the training of our volunteers, and now they're with us in caring for them. That continuity of support is something we don't take for granted."Rio Tinto's support recognises that the mental health of those on the frontline of crisis care matters too. This funding gives us the capacity to better retain and care for the extraordinary volunteers who answer the call."Lifeline WA and Rio Tinto have partnered since 2024, with the company previously investing $860,000 over two years to fund the training of crisis supporters including 60 new volunteers trained in the last 12 months.Rio Tinto iron ore chief executive Matthew Holcz says crisis supporters offer compassion, stability and hope to people experiencing distress when they need it most.“They support thousands of Western Australians every year, but they also need support themselves,” he said.“That’s why our newest partnership with Lifeline WA is about helping sustain the people who sustain others.“Access to mental health support can be harder to come by in regional WA and for FIFO workers. This partnership is one of the ways we are making a difference.”The new partnership is a deliberate evolution from building a workforce to sustaining it.

MCA: Skilled migration to reverse mining talent crunch The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has outlined a range of programs and reforms to skilled migration policy to reduce a talent shortage in the nation’s minerals industry. In a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Migration’s Inquiry into the value of skilled migration to Australia, the MCA’s recommendations include fast-tracking permanent residency for in-demand global talent, cutting processing delays and accelerating licensing.MCA chief executive Tania Constable says Australian mining is facing a severe skills shortage. “ threatens our ability to take advantage of growing global demand for critical minerals essential to daily life, the energy transition and defence and bulk commodities such as iron ore and coal,” she said. “Mining is facing a workforce crunch as demand for talent intensifies while nearly half of mining engineers are expected to retire within the next decade, yet hundreds of foreign engineers living in Australia are forced to drive Ubers or accept other work below their level of expertise for a living. “Employing Australians will always be the first priority of the minerals industry. “The industry provides more than 290,000 direct jobs and also creates jobs through supply chains and related industries — totalling around 1.25m jobs in direct and indirect jobs across the country — with projections indicating up to 35,400 jobs are to be added by 2028.” Skilled workers are also delivered through the vocational education and training system which supplies job-ready talent through apprenticeships, traineeships and targeted upskilling programs. Apprentices and trainees made up about 4.4% of the mining workforce for the last 15 years, with almost 11,000 mining apprentices and trainees in training. “At the same time, skilled migration fills urgent workforce needs, complements domestic training and supports long-term growth,” Ms Constable said. “Without skilled migration, mining labour shortages especially in critical and hard to fill specialised roles would put project timelines, export earnings and the broader national economy at risk.” Australian industry is struggling to fill critical roles including mining, geotechnical and processing engineers, metallurgists, geologists, electricians, mine surveyors, diesel fitters and drillers. “While Australia’s skilled migration intake is intended to align with industry needs, responsiveness is weakened by slow updates, credential barriers and settlement constraints,” Ms Constable said. “Australia’s mining, clean energy and technology sectors are all frustrated and impeded by these weaknesses, as their demand for specialised skills is growing faster than migration pathways can adapt.” Although skilled migrants comprise just 1.24% of the Australian minerals workforce, their contribution is critical. Since June 2020, skilled migrant industry participation hasmore than doubled, rising 122% from 1700 in 2020 to 3880 in 2025.  The MCA’s submission outlines several recommendations to improve skilled migration approach, including restoring responsiveness and streamlining pathways by aligning intake with verified industry needs and fast-tracking permanent residency routes to attract and retain global talent According to the MCA, eliminating structural barriers by cutting processing delays, simplifying requirements and modernising administration whilst empowering states and territories through flexible regional compacts and embedding clear residency, family and settlement support are also crucial. The MCA also recommends activating regional compacts that give states and territories flexible nomination quotas directly tied to verified local shortages and mobilising existing migrant talent by accelerating credential recognition and introducing targeted industry incentives for work experience placements and structured mentoring. Accelerating licensure and credential assessment through codesign with professional regulators will also help create frictionless, accelerated permanent residency routes for skills essential to national strategic priorities, including those required for the critical minerals, the clean energy transition and net zero targets, such as STEM, advanced manufacturing and specific trades, says the MCA. “A more agile and targeted skilled migration system will secure the skills that drive innovation, lift productivity and reinforce the nation’s position in the global economy, particularly in mining where leadership is critical to long-term prosperity,” Ms Constable said. 

University graduates invited to work with Glencore Glencore has opened applications for its 2027 graduate program which offers university graduates the opportunity to launch their careers with the leading resources company.Open to graduates in engineering, environmental science, geology, accounting, health and safety, human resources and IT, the program begins in February 2027 and provides a strong foundation for long-term careers in the mining industry.The two-year program combines hands-on site experience with structured development, mentoring from industry leaders and access to a strong professional network, along with a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits.Since 2020, 668 graduates have joined Glencore’s Australian coal and metals operations, gaining practical experience while contributing to major regional projects and local communities.Glencore coal human resources manager Michelle Montgomery says the coal graduate program was designed to give graduates real responsibility, strong support and early exposure to operational environments.“Our Graduate Program gives emerging professionals the chance to learn, grow and thrive in a supportive and challenging environment, while building strong foundations for long-term careers,” she said."Beyond technical skills participants develop confidence in communication, teamwork and leadership, all underpinned by a strong safety culture, integrity and responsibility for solving real challenges.”For graduate geotechnical engineer Nicholas Grady, the coal graduate program offered opportunities he had not found elsewhere in the industry, particularly the chance to gain experience across both underground and open-cut operations.“I chose to apply for the Glencore graduate program because it offered opportunities other programs didn’t, particularly as a geotechnical engineer,” he said.“I’ve had the chance to work in both underground and open-cut coal operations and gain plenty of hands-on experience.“The support on site has been great. I have a direct supervisor who has been extremely helpful and someone I can always speak to, even when we’re not on site together. It’s a unique opportunity for graduates looking for real responsibility early in their careers, and I would encourage students to give it a go.”Glencore Mount Isa Mines human resources manager Shari Barwick says the metals graduate program is designed to give graduates meaningful responsibility while providing the support they need to succeed.“Our graduate program helps early-career professionals build skills, confidence and leadership capability in a supportive and challenging environment, laying the groundwork for rewarding careers in regional Queensland,” she said.“Alongside technical skills, graduates develop teamwork, communication and problem-solving abilities, guided by our strong focus on safety, integrity and real-world impact.”For metallurgist Mikayla McKenna the opportunity to challenge herself, gain practical experience and build confidence was a defining part of the program.“I joined the graduate program because I wanted hands-on experience, not just theory,” she said.“That is one of the best parts of the graduate program, learning from people who’ve been solving problems for years. That knowledge doesn’t exist in textbooks, you only get it by being here, amongst the action.“Within months of arriving, I was solving real operational problems and working with people who trusted me. That’s what made this experience unlike any other.”