scone.com.auMount Pleasant Agreement Rejected
YESTERDAY the Fair Work Commission rejected an application by Thiess to register an agreement for the Mount Pleasant mine describing the agreement as manipulative and indefensible.
The Construction, Forestry and Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) described it as cunning and shameful.
The agreement was struck with only three employees and was seven pages in total.
The Commission rejected the agreement on the grounds that it was not satisfied:
- the three employees who voted for it were covered by it;
- the agreement was fairly chose and
- the agreement was genuinely agreed to by the three employees.
Peter Jordan, district president of the CFMEU said the first the Union heard of the agreement was when Thiess applied to the Commission, which they promptly opposed.
“Thiess should be ashamed of their actions in cunningly attempting to construct an arrangement where they could bypass the Union and implement a four year non-union agreement,” said Mr Jordan.
“We say it is disgusting behaviour and it needs to be condemned and we also say that in regards to MACH Energy the Union is concerned at what role they have played in the whole shameful affair,” he said.
“To date MACH Energy has never bothered to make contact with the Union and obviously we would say that they want a non-Union mine site and we will also say to MACH Energy ‘that’s not going to happen’.
“Obviously now MACH Energy still don’t have a contractor and in any event even if they did, that contractor would not be able to commence work because they don’t have an agreement to hire people under.
“Which really means Thiess would have to come down knocking on our door to negotiate a green field agreement, which is what they should have done in the first place.
“We want to say to the workers and the local community that the Mount Pleasant mine is a tremendous opportunity for employment in the local area; it’s great for the local businesses and the mining community of Muswellbrook and surrounds and we’re completely in favour of the mine,” he said.
“But in saying that, we say to workers, we expect any worker that is engaged at the Mount Pleasant mine under whoever the contractor is, should be engaged under proper and suitable conditions that mine workers expect to be hired under and not some shonky under rated agreement that doesn’t provide suitable conditions for mine workers which is what the Thiess agreement was set up to do,” he said.
“I wouldn’t like to be hired under the agreement the money was terrible and the agreement was seven pages,” Peter Jordan said.
MACH Energy was contacted for comment.
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