Mining - Working Public Holidays

[TheEscapeClub]

Wasn't sure whether to post this here or on the SRP board.

This is going to cause some serious headaches if the appeal doesn't get up. If the example of the last couple of years where Christmas / Boxing Day falls on a weekend, what happens if everyone in a fifo camp decides they want to be at home for Christmas with their family? Would that be an unreasonable request on behalf of the employee or would staying and working be a reasonable request on behalf of the employer? Extra planes needed to cope with the traffic as you'd already have all of the 4/3 or 5/2 people filling the planes.

I guess this is what BHP get for creating their crap OS division with their dynamic rostering. I'm sure all of the other resource sector companies will love them for it. Next cab under fire from them will probably be their 2 year apprenticeships.

The ruling will override whatever is written into employees’ existing contracts.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/bosses-must-ask-employees-if-they-want-to-work-public-holidays-after-landmark-ruling/news-story/1dacffe3a3fa7dedf4dae050acd5ca6c

 

[Power Raid]

Wasn't sure whether to post this here or on the SRP board.

This is going to cause some serious headaches if the appeal doesn't get up. If the example of the last couple of years where Christmas / Boxing Day falls on a weekend, what happens if everyone in a fifo camp decides they want to be at home for Christmas with their family? Would that be an unreasonable request on behalf of the employee or would staying and working be a reasonable request on behalf of the employer? Extra planes needed to cope with the traffic as you'd already have all of the 4/3 or 5/2 people filling the planes.

I guess this is what BHP get for creating their crap OS division with their dynamic rostering. I'm sure all of the other resource sector companies will love them for it. Next cab under fire from them will probably be their 2 year apprenticeships.

The ruling will override whatever is written into employees’ existing contracts.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/bosses-must-ask-employees-if-they-want-to-work-public-holidays-after-landmark-ruling/news-story/1dacffe3a3fa7dedf4dae050acd5ca6c

There are some practical solutions here such as diversity.

By having muslims in the team or other, they celebrate different days.

Further better planning and securing workers months in advance.



There are some unavoidable issues such as safety and operational capacity which may rely on key indiduals.

At the end of the day if this issue requires court intervention or unions, sack the management and staff and start again. The culture is wrong and has failed.

Teams work together to resolve issues and make lives better.

 

[Spirit Level]

This will be a logistical nightmare for some sites and is a poor idea.

You enter swing work with the knowledge you won't have normal public holidays. Don't like it? Don't work in mining

 

[TheEscapeClub]

This will be a logistical nightmare for some sites and is a poor idea.

You enter swing work with the knowledge you won't have normal public holidays. Don't like it? Don't work in mining

I agree, but I think this is more to do with BHP's Operational Services, they have dynamic rostering as a selling point but in reality it's pretty much for the company to send you anywhere, anytime on any roster.

OS tends to be viewed as BHP's own inhouse labour hire company, they cut out the middleman and keep the difference.

 

[Hamingja]

Society would be fair stuffed if emergency workers all decided to take Xmas & Boxing Day off under the ruling......

I work in finance and while we get all the national public holidays off, because we deal with clients Australia wide, people have to work Queens Birthday, Labor Day etc that are different in each state.

I worked for a large company previously and they used to take volunteers and if they didn't get enough volunteers they said they would force everyone to work. They always got enough volunteers though because you would get the double time and half for the public holiday, plus they would give you a $100 gift card for every 5 hours worked plus they would have a heap of door prizes, apple watches/ipads/PS4s etc for anyone who worked that day.

Hard to feel sorry for BHP when they didn't even pay them penalty rates to work the public holidays......

 

[Billy ray]

Just leave the minerals in the ground an extra day or two. I mean if cyclones are bearing down dont they stop everything?

 

[Caesar]

Just leave the minerals in the ground an extra day or two. I mean if cyclones are bearing down dont they stop everything?

turning things off really stuffs with supply chains, it's incredibly expensive and you really don't want to do it unless you absolutely have to

 

[Billy ray]

Yeh i know
But boo hoo you’re breaking my heart

 

[Rodney Dangerfield]

I work in emergency services and this year I work right through Easter Friday to Monday on normal rates.
Getting higher rates on public holidays would be fair enough, but getting the choice is a bit of a laugh.
We do get days available for cultural leave but Christmas or Easter isn’t part of it.

 

[Nuggs Bunny]

Wasn't sure whether to post this here or on the SRP board.

This is going to cause some serious headaches if the appeal doesn't get up. If the example of the last couple of years where Christmas / Boxing Day falls on a weekend, what happens if everyone in a fifo camp decides they want to be at home for Christmas with their family? Would that be an unreasonable request on behalf of the employee or would staying and working be a reasonable request on behalf of the employer? Extra planes needed to cope with the traffic as you'd already have all of the 4/3 or 5/2 people filling the planes.

I guess this is what BHP get for creating their crap OS division with their dynamic rostering. I'm sure all of the other resource sector companies will love them for it. Next cab under fire from them will probably be their 2 year apprenticeships.

The ruling will override whatever is written into employees’ existing contracts.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/bosses-must-ask-employees-if-they-want-to-work-public-holidays-after-landmark-ruling/news-story/1dacffe3a3fa7dedf4dae050acd5ca6c

The biggest thing I see coming from this is that the FIFO sector will have to start paying people to work public holidays like anybody else - which they probably should have been doing all along. People that work FIFO are pretty clearly there for the money and not the work life balance so I doubt BHP will have any trouble finding a full crew to work through holiday periods if they're paying loading. The major projects construction sector has been doing this in capital cities for years now, some headaches and obviously no consideration for planes etc. but still workable no doubt.