Orano warns of financial problems at Niger uranium plant
The West African nation increasingly seeks new partners, such as Russia, in its mining sector.
The Australian reports BHP Mitsubishi’s decision to bypass a thoroughly resistant troika of unions by seeking a direct employee ballot on a new three-year enterprise agreement takes the world’s number one miner into deeply uncharted industrial relations waters.
The move comes after nine months of fruitless negotiations and 11 different offers – including annual pay rises of 5% and a $15,000 bonus – all of which were rejected by the unions which will now resume strikes.
The six mines operated by BHP Mistubishi have a combined output capacity of more than 58 million tonnes per year of mostly metallurgical coal, representing about a fifth of annual global trade.
The Australian reports BHP Mistubishi became so frustrated by the cul de sac that it decided to push back just that little bit more. At the very least, the workers will be given a clear sight of the all that is in the enterprise agreement. As things stand, the unions have been the only translator of the terms and conditions under debate.
Reuters reports about 3,500 workers belong to unions at the BHP Mistubishi mines out of a total workforce of around 10,000 and analysts have estimated that a full week of 12-hour stoppages could cut production by up to 1 million tonnes.
10 Comments
Bill Jackson
Unions kill jobs and drive high order automation. Soon they will have remote vehicles, controlled by wireless means and employ people who want to work, and the union types will go home with no job at all.
Jacowboymiller
you must be a scab
Danelhombre76
Bill Jackson, you’re definitely a scab, milking off the hard work and solidarity of others, or else, you’re an exploiting, “take all the profit” capitalist dirt bag, or probably, more to the point, you’re a spineless member of the petty bourgeois.
Jimmy2trees
I work in a union environment mine, it’s tiresome with politics constantly played by companies, millions and millions of dollars of minerals paid out to our company, and they cry the blues to the workers about cutting costs and lower wages to stay competitive, always attacking the little guy in the company, while “higher ups” make millions. The CEO our my company makes 3 million a year, I found this out online and in Forbes magazine. Personally it makes me sick. Lay off tariff fear tactics, putting workers against workers, I didnt have a choice to join the union, but I really like my job. But I’m glad after 5 years that there is a union where I work to look out for the little guy, like me. I guess if the companies were so good to work for and fair, we wouldn’t need a union. I’m not against the company making money either, that’s why i have a good job, nut fair is fair 3 million compared to 70 g and I need to give up my pay to keep the company competitive, common.
Larry
What r the workers striking over, better work schedules, more money, better benefits, or just trying to keep what they have? An article like this is one sided and in my opion hard to find out the real cause of a strike in this situation. These r working men, they have families and mortgages like everybody else. They know that striking doesn’t pay the bills, but maybe they stand to lose alot of what they have if they accept certain offers from the company, maybe the offers are unfair. It’s to bad things have to come down to this.
Samaa_007
I was the Head of Human Resources KPC with the title General Manager Human Resources, the largest coal mine with over 5,000 workers now, when I joined in 2004 it was 3,000, one of the reasons the Australian and British Owners let go the company (sold the company) was due to what the Management called “countinuous Union attacks/disturbances”.
Thank God after I joined in 2004 (they let go the company in 2003), peaceful condition in the relations of Union and Management, thus prodoction is running smoothly, every body happy.
They key root cause of dispute is in the heart of the decision makers, both Management and the Union. And God gives me the talent to be able to embrace both.
The unique of KPC case is that they have 5 Unions, and yet we (HR Division) can well managed to make them into “One happy family”, not 5.
I am now (since end of May this year) a retiree of KPC.
I am contactable at [email protected] or [email protected] and at Cell Phones: +62 0811 911 856 and +62 0818 911 856
Regards,
Sam
northofordinary
why don’t you just say thanks and stop complaining about unions. We’re not perfect by any means but if not for “us” pushing back against corporations you as a non-union worker would have nothing, still be working all the straight time hours you want and for little pay…..
Rock
Interesting article but impossible to judge without details.
Unions have done lots to bring a middle class living within reach for people and protect individuals from the wrath of greedy and abusive employers. Later, however, it’s the Unions that have in many cases become greedy and abusive towards the employers. Bill J. has a point and here is a perfect example. We are looking at working with a company bringing in a new technology. In developing countries the base machine will be provided and provide work for 6-10 employees per machine. If we have to pay an employee (like Jimmy below) 70k a year it is more than worth it to pay for the fully automated machine and have someone stare at guages all day. Having 6 – 10 operators at even half that price could make many businesses impossible to be profitable so automation is the only plausible solution.
The best cases of unions cooperating with management is often when the company is left with no alternatives because the reality of bankruptcy is looming. If there is no cooperation, everyone is going home empty handed. I have seen many cases of this and seems to be similar to what Samaa has pointed out below.
Complaining about a CEO’s salary being elevated, when a large number of low education workers are getting better wages than people that have busted their buts by going to school in the hopes to get ahead, is quite hypocritical unless you have had the occasion of working both sides. I have and I do have a great respect for all honest hard working individuals, whether that be the janitor or CEO. It is the manipulating, dishonest people that want all for nothing that gives a bad rap to both sides of the table. Unfortunately there are more than enough of those to go around.
All any of us can do to improve the situation is try to contribute in a positive way (like Samaa here) and encourage our collegues to do the same regardless what side of the table we are on.
Cheers
gm628
can anyone tell me if unions helped GM out in the last decade? if you ask me, unions killed GM. Mines are so badly in need of labour right now, they pay up or don’t produce, as no one will go work for them. so, in that environment – what good is a union?
Brooks_troy
capitalist shit bags always making unions look bad. What about the $10/day wages in Chile workers still living in slums etc.