November 21, 2024
PIMS and Illawarra Coal confirmed that they will not oppose the MEU’s application for Same Job Same Pay for hundreds of labour hire workers at Appin mine in the Illawarra, with an order from the Fair Work Commission expected shortly.
This means that Illawarra Coal will not fight MEU evidence that contractors are performing the same work as permanents, making them eligible for Same Job Same Pay under laws introduced by the Albanese Government.
In general, PIMS workers are paid between $15,000 to $20,000 less than employees at Appin mine.
The MEU’s application for Appin mine covers around 240 labour hire workers for both PIMS and Nexus, with pay rises estimated at over $4 million annually.
It is fantastic to see PIMS and Illawarra Coal accepting that the laws have changed, and labour hire workers shouldn’t be paid less for doing the same job.
What next?
The next step is for the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to issue a ‘regulated labour hire arrangement order’ which sets a Protected Rate of Pay for PIMS employees at Appin in line with rates in the Appin Colliery Enterprise Agreement.
It is proposed that Same Job Same Pay would take affect from 27 November.
We expect the FWC to issue the order on or before this date; and pay increases for PIMS workers will take effect from this day.
The ‘Protected Rate of Pay’ covers all monetary amounts specified in the Enterprise Agreement; and the order places the obligation on Illawarra Coal and PIMS to ensure wages are correctly calculated and paid.
There is no further action for members to take, except check your first payslip after 27 November to ensure the new rates have been applied.
More applications in the pipeline
As of November, when the laws came into effect, the MEU had made 46 applications to the Fair Work Commission for Same Job Same Pay at 24 coal mine sites nationally, worth an estimated total of $128 million in annual pay rises. We will continue to make Same Job Same pay applications until the unfair labour hire model is stamped out.