One hundred and six New South Wales coal miners were fired from the Boggabri Coal mine this month while foreign fly-in fly-out workers held their positions, angering locals, Matt Peacock reported Monday for ABC News.
Residents of the mining town Gunnedah fear a rising trend in fly-in fly-out workers and argue that capable, skilled locals are available for work instead.
The Boggabri mine operator Downer EDI said the foreign workers “have specialist skills unavailable in the local workforce,” though this claim is challenged by the local union and information from a recent company skills chart.
