Rio Tinto extends Clontarf partnership for five years

Electrical workers at BHP’s (ASX: BHP) Pilbara mining operations have voted for protected industrial action, following more than a year of negotiations.The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) says the vote is the first at a mine operator in the Pilbara in decades and covers 60 workers on BHP’s Pilbara high-voltage network.The workers are seeking a workplace agreement that covers annual pay adjustments, classifications, travel time, higher duties and on-call arrangements and would replace a patchwork of “wildly disparate individual contracts,” according to the ETU.“ETU members working at BHP in the Pilbara are highly skilled. They perform difficult, specialist, high-risk work,” ETU WA secretary Adam Woodage said.“For years they have been working under wildly disparate individual contracts, with basic conditions at the whim of individual managers, who have played favourites and built personal empires through the selective application of company policies.”WA CME chief executive Aaron Morey says the move, which opens the door to the first resources sector strike in the Pilbara in decades, sends a worrying signal to global investors.“This is a dangerous turn for the Pilbara. Industrial conflict and dispute doesn’t just hurt investment – ultimately, it hurts workers and WA families,” Mr Morey said.“The log of claims put forward by the ETU is not grounded in reality. It proposes total remuneration packages comparable to the WA Premier while also seeking to dictate rostering patterns and workforce composition. Simply put, the union’s demands are unworkable.”Following the ballot, covered workers can take work stoppages lasting between 15 minutes and 48 hours. Workers can also refuse permit issuance, switching programs, on-call and overtime work, high-risk work and attending management-led meetings.Mr Woodage said that unions wanted to be a force for peace in the Pilbara, but that could only happen if companies were willing to engage in genuine productive negotiations.“Today’s vote is the result of hubris by BHP. Their disagreement with the people who keep the lights on and the ore moving has reached this point because of a protracted, deliberate and short-sighted refusal on the part of the company to negotiate a reasonable, consistent agreement,” he said.“Workers put a position to BHP more than 12 months ago hoping to commence negotiation of a fair, reasonable, transparent agreement. The company has refused to negotiate on a single point.“This refusal left workers with no other way forward than to pursue protected industrial action.“It’s nobody’s preferred way forwards, but when it is the only way forward it is one that we are more than prepared to take.Mr Morey says similar strikes, frequent in the 1970s and 1980s, damaged WA’s reputation as a trading partner, leading to investment flowing into Brazil, creating an iron ore industry that today remains WA’s biggest competitor.“The conflict in the Middle East provides a stark reminder of the importance of the strategic importance of WA’s export industries,” he said.“Our reputation as a reliable supplier of minerals and energy to Asian markets is one of our greatest strengths as we seek to navigate the unfolding global energy challenge.“We cannot afford to damage that reputation through industrial disputes based on unrealistic union demands.”Mr Woodage says the door remains open should BHP wish to meaningfully commence negotiations.Proposed actions will not be taken in any situation where the safety of workers or the community may be threatened, according to the ETU.

A contract worker has died following an incident at Rio Tinto’s (ASX: RIO) SimFer mine at the Simandou iron ore project in Guinea.

Recent South32 (ASX: S32) chief operating officer Vanessa Torres will succeed Mark Norwell as the managing director and chief executive of Perenti (ASX: PRN) this year.Dr Torres joined South32 in 2018 and held senior roles — including chief technology officer, chief technical officer and chief operating officer — and has more than 25 years’ experience in senior leadership roles.Prior to joining South32, she spent 11 years at BHP (ASX: BHP) in a range of senior executive roles across strategy and operations and held senior leadership roles at Vale in South and North America.Perenti board chair Diane Smith-Gander says the board’s decision was based on a rigorous recruitment process involving exceptional internal and external candidates with a focus on supporting our long-term growth ambitions.“I would first like to acknowledge Mark’s significant contribution to Perenti. Under his leadership, Perenti has delivered more than a four-fold revenue growth since he commenced in 2018 and achieved material improvements across all key financial metrics,” she said.“His genuine care for people has been a hallmark of his leadership, driving a strong focus on developing our people and progressing our journey to create safe and respectful workplaces.“On behalf of the board and the entire Perenti workforce, I would like to thank Mark for his leadership in the transformation of Perenti and for his continued support through the transition.“Vanessa is a highly accomplished executive with extensive operational and leadership experience across global mining operations, and she brings the ideal combination of strategic capability, operational excellence, industry insight and people focused leadership to the role.”Commenting on her appointment Dr Torres says she looks forward to working collaboratively with the board and management team to continue the development and delivery of the Perenti strategy to create enduring value and certainty for clients, people, communities and shareholders.“It is an honour to have been appointed as Perenti’s next managing director and chief executive at such an exciting time for the business and in a pivotal moment for the mining industry,” she said.Dr Torres will commence with Perenti on April 13 and will be appointed as the managing director and chief executive on June 1.Mr Norwell will remain with the company to provide transition support through June and into FY27.

Tivan (ASX: TVN) has established a community development initiative with the Central Land Council (CLC) to provide grant funding to support Traditional Owners and Native Title Holders in Central Australia.Tivan will provide up to $1m to fund regional community development initiatives, structured as $250,000 in initial funding, and three further annual funding stages of up to $250,000 over the next three years.Existing projects under the Community Development Program are targeted at delivering positive outcomes across health, cultural strengthening, education, infrastructure, employment and enterprise development.Tivan executive chairman Grant Wilson comments on the initiative.“The board of Tivan is proud to support this landmark initiative, that will provide much needed development funding to some of the most remote communities in Australia,” he said.“For too long resources companies in the Territory have adopted an adversarial and transactional approach to land access and have focused on bare minimum outcomes in respect of Aboriginal Australians. Tivan is different. The early and genuine inclusion of Traditional Owners and Native Title Holders is a foundational principle at our company, and we are committed to furthering a durable alignment of interests throughout the project development lifecycle.“Tivan will fundamentally reshape how resources projects are developed in the Territory in the years ahead.”Tivan says that wherever possible, initiatives are delivered in partnership with Aboriginal-controlled organisations and companies, strengthening local capability and economic participation.