The Big Issue: Bringing Bargaining back to the Pilbara

Iron ore is a global commodity, used to make steel, which is found in almost every modern building and structure in the developed world.  Australia itself is home to the world’s largest stores and production of iron, and we produce 38% of the world’s global exports. For the WA economy, iron ore generates $139.1 billion each year, and this number only continues to rise as mining giants increase production and near the limit of what ports can export.

This means tens of billions of dollars in profits every year for the mining companies based in WA. The two richest Australians – Gina Rhinehart and Andrew Forrest – are mining bosses. Profits have boomed in the last decade off the back of rocketing iron ore prices.

But when you look at the wages and conditions of the workers on the ground – the operators, technicians, truck drivers and mechanics responsible for carting millions of tonnes of iron ore to WA ports, they’re going backwards.

What happened to unions?

Since unions were forced out of the Pilbara in the 1980s and ‘90s, mine workers have only had access to employer-dictated contracts and individual agreements, effectively removing their say within the workplace, and handing it to the bosses – whose priorities are to keep profits high and wages low.

So how can unions regain the power we lost after being locked out of the Pilbara for decades?

We’re rebuilding unionism by working together. In 2013, the AWU and the Mining and Energy Union (MEU) first created the Western Mine Workers’ Alliance, so Australia’s two largest mining unions can organise as one combined force.

And the election of the Albanese Labor Government in 2022 has given us another powerful tool in our arsenal – the Closing Loopholes Bill. This now means that unions have more rights at the bargaining table representing our members in the fight for a fair go.

Taking on the giants

Our fight is beginning with BHP on their South Flank and Area C sites. After refusing to bargain and no union agreement in over a decade, we’ve been able to force them to the table, using the expired Enterprise Agreement as a trigger for new negotiations without running a Majority Support Determination (MSD).

Last financial year alone, BHP reported US$28 billion from their Pilbara operations, employing 14,000 workers. This means each Pilbara worker generated US$2 million – but most are only paid $120-140K for long FIFO swings away from home in one of the hottest places on the planet.

Already, WMWA representatives have had several bargaining meetings and laid out their log of claims as endorsed by the membership – decent, secured wage increases, pay parity with other BHP sites, fair rosters, detailed classification structures, improved allowances, and no reduction to existing wages and conditions. It’s a long road ahead, but our organisers are ready for the challenge.

Rio Tinto is also in our sights. No other company has made as much hay as Rio on the de-unionisation of it its workforce, and it’s time to set things right. We’re gearing up to bring Rio Tinto back to the bargaining table with an MSD in the coming months.

As the Pilbara’s largest producer of iron ore, we know Rio Tinto has the cash to spare, with multi-billion-dollar profits already a third higher than they were a decade ago and continuing to rise each year.

While taking on the giants of any industry is no easy task, especially after decades of anti-union regulations and aggressive employers, the WMWA is stopping at nothing to bring mine workers in the Pilbara together to fight for a fair deal. Every week, our organisers have been onsite at mines around the Pilbara, talking to workers about the issues that matter most – wages, rosters, safety, and conditions.

Stronger together

Our national secretary, Paul Farrow, and WA Branch Secretary, Brad Gandy, visited the Pilbara this year with MEU leadership, to show the union is seriously in their corner. And to those workers we can’t see face to face, we’re organising online, reaching as many remote mine workers as possible on social media.

It’s getting real results, and more mine workers than ever are coming on board. Our growth has tripled in 2024, with several hundred members joining the Alliance in just the last few months.

With our membership continuing to grow and the experience of two unions at the helm, the WMWA is primed to win a fair deal in the Pilbara. The AWU has done this before, bargaining for historic enterprise agreements for offshore workers at Chevron, Woodside and Inpex.

After being locked out for decades on WA’s oil & gas platforms, we fought our way back in and secured 30% pay rises for hundreds of workers. If this is possible offshore, we can achieve it on home soil.