The Mining And Energy Union Podcast

The horrific burns suffered by five members in Anglo American’s Grosvenor mine in May last year were avoidable. The company had been warned many times about safety issues. Now members have taken matters into their own hands and formed the first ever labour hire only lodge to ensure it never happens again.

Iron ore train drivers in the Pilbara are exhausted. They’ve borne the brunt of a sector booming in the middle of a pandemic - leaving some stuck over east chewing up leave and some doing double the work in 45 degrees in the west.

On this day in 1921 75 miners at Mt Mulligan in Far North Queensland never returned home from work. The town lost three quarters of its men that day. On this episode you’ll meet some of the men involved.

The BHP Central Agreement is the biggest and most comprehensive agreement in the Queensland coalfields. As negotiations get underway for the next deal, we look back at the 40+ year history of blues, wins and epic struggles that have shaped conditions at work and in coal communities.

The BHP Central Agreement is the biggest and most comprehensive agreement in the Queensland coalfields. As negotiations get underway for the next deal, we look at back at the 40+ year history of blues, wins and epic struggles that have shaped conditions at work and in coal communities.

What do union delegates do when a member comes to them with a problem? And how do they approach prospective members regarding joining up? We find out.

Northern Mining and NSW Energy Vice President Jeff Drayton has thrown his hat in the ring for the crucial 22 May Upper Hunter by-election in NSW. He explains why he’s running and the first thing he’ll do if he’s elected.

In 1963 one woman took down a massive mining company armed only with a bottle of water. This is her story.

The WA Coal Mining Industry is centred on the town of Collie in the South West of the state - the local mines and power stations have been keeping the lights on in WA for generations. Collie Coal Mining has an incredible history - and they’ve been celebrating that history recently. They’ve got a underground coal mine replica, virtual reality shovel diggers so aspiring miners can put on a headset a...

Mining and energy industries have traditionally been among the most male-dominated in Australia. But women’s numbers have been growing in our workplaces and importantly, in the Union. There are now more women workplace leaders than ever in the Mining and Energy Union. This episode we meet some of the women delegates to the National Convention at the NSW hub in Cessnock to find out what makes them...

Nic’s 200 tonne truck burst into flame underneath him one winter’s day back in 2018, and he was lucky to escape with just a few burns. He relives the story and we work out what we can learn from the incident and the subsequent rescue. Do you have a story of a close call like Nic’s? We’d love to hear it - email us at commoncause@cfmeu.com.au

How do good EAs get made? And what about bad ones? Find out how labour hire companies use dodgy EAs to remove members’ right to strike and deny them permanent jobs & proper pay.

We are going to end the year on the podcast with some inspiration from union legend, Tom McDonald on how to win a blue.

It's been 1 year since Christmas came early for members at Boggabri Coal. In the winter of 2019 they’d had enough of the mine owner’s attempts to drive down wages & conditions. So they began 4 months of stoppages and won 12% over 4 years, a $4000 sign on bonus and set new standards for working conditions in the Gunnedah Basin. But what are the lessons other members can learn from their victory?

BHP’s dodgy Operations Services agreements have been binned by the Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission. But now the hard work begins of working together to achieve a better deal for OS workers. Keep up to date with issues affecting OS workers at thinkfairbhp.com.au

Could a new pilot hydrogen plant in Victoria make Australia the Saudi Arabia of Hydrogen Fuel? And at the same time extend the life of coal mines around the county? It’s an exciting prospect - let's find out more from Victorian District President Geoff Dyke and Tony Wood Energy Program Director with The Grattan Institute. At 6.36 BHP’s in house labour hire company Operations Services is dudding mi...

Our big campaign to protect casual coal miners’ recent legal win kicks off our September episode - if you haven’t emailed your local MP yet head to protectcasualminers.com.au At 3:25 We learn how BHP’s in house labour hire company Operations Services has stopped offering maintenance workers in its Mackay workshop trades apprenticeships, leaving some very disappointed youngsters. At 7:08 We head to...

Our August episode begins with BHP’s Operations Services Scam - Bowen Basin Organiser Jason Lipscombe describes how ‘The Big Australian’ puts local workers on second rate agreements using their in house labour hire firm Operations Services. At 6:26 Chris Griffith explains how he owes his, and his wife’s, life to The Westpac Helicopter Rescue Service while the organisation’s CEO Richard Jones thank...

Our July episode begins with South32’s grubby use of the Coronavirus crisis to dial down safety and cut wages at Appin Mine. South Western District Vice President Bob Timbs explains the company’s tactics, and we hear from a couple of Appin miners dudded by the move. At 7.15 Former General Secretary Andrew Vickers reflects on lives lost and lessons learnt from major mining disasters we commemorate...

Our June episode begins with the recent landmark Federal Court judgment that the ‘permanent casual’ work model is unlawful, with Labor’s Tony Burke, casual miner Chad Stokes and National Legal Director Alex Bukarica discussing implications and next steps. At 13.19 Queensland President Steve Smyth gives us the latest on the gas explosion at the Grosvenor Mine. At 19.24 Former Miners Federation Gene...

Our May episode kicks off with Coronavirus - what else? It’s changed how we all work - from staggered shift starts to cleaning down equipment to ditching carpooling - but some proposed solutions, like 21 days on, 7 days off rosters have been shown the door. At 3.11 Queensland District President Stephen Smyth calls out ‘hot seat changing’ & ‘hot bedding’. At 6.50 FIFO Pilbara locomotive driver Paul...