BHP suffers new industrial relations setback

afr.com:

BHP has withdrawn an application fora workplace deal supported by more than 60 per cent of relevant employees after mining unions successfully complained the proposed agreement had not been properly explained to employees.

The withdrawal will affect 1427 maintenance workers who in March voted to support the new workplace deal, and continues BHP’slong and so far unsuccessful journey to an official workplace deal for its controversial in-house contracting division.

Known as Operations Services, the in-house contracting division was created in 2018 and provides full-time employment and benefits such as sick leave to maintenance and production workers who were traditionally employed to work on BHP mines on short-term contracts by labour-hire companies.

Operations Services has been vigorously fought by the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), whose members earn higher wages for doing similar jobs at the same mines underseparate workplace deals.

Union unrest over BHP’s workplace strategy has been one of the primary inspirations for the “same job, same pay” policy the Albanese government is now trying to legislate.

BHP said the withdrawal of the workplace agreement for maintenance employees related to a clause that links employees to geographic hubs.

Originally BHP wanted to be able to deploy workers nationwide, but feedback from workers prompted the miner to link each employee to a geographic location in recent years, typically in their state of residence.

Unions complained to the Fair Work Commission that BHP had not properly explained the regional hub aspect of the workplace deal.

The Albanese government loosened the rules around companies’ obligations to explain workplace deals to employees last year.

Desp