Who works in the mines and what doing

[Stazza_Brendan]

Originally Posted by buggerlugs

Your in Mackay, is it true what they are saying that 20,000 have gone from the Mackay area in the last 18 months ?

I've heard similar numbers. Before you couldn't get a rental here. Now mackay has a high vacancy rate. Rents are dropping, New houses aren't getting built, constant stories of businesses cutting numbers our going under completely. I think most of the people that moved here for the boom have gone back home once the down turn hit.

[wicksy]

Originally Posted by Stazza_Brendan

Approximately 450 jobs to go from Burton mine up here in Bowen basin. Cutting production from 2.5 to 1million tonnes annually. Seen the email come through this afternoon.

350 jobs to go, down to 100 employees including workshop,pit and staffies, 5/2 roster 16 trucks 1x9800 1x996 plus the stupid new dragline they bought,

overburden from 105m bcm to 15bcm
coal production from 6.4m tonnes to 2.5m tonnes.

How do i know, im one of the unlucky ones who are out of work now.

[Stazza_Brendan]

Did they cut the numbers straight away? We got the spiel from the big boss today (I'm at north goon). Sorry to hear.

[Road Games]

Plenty of jobs re-advertised...

[wicksy]

Originally Posted by Stazza_Brendan

Did they cut the numbers straight away? We got the spiel from the big boss today (I'm at north goon). Sorry to hear.

pretty well much we got 4-5 weeks until it all happens but, if i can find more work i will just take the VR, i pretty well know i am gone. just going to be hard when your up against 500+ people looking for work, it'll be like winning the lottery, i have been looking at relocating to Kalgoorlie though

[wicksy]

i'm more worried about the lease car than anything, i know they will pay up to 3 months for it then afterwards i need to fund it, going to do my security course as i have work for that already, just hoping i can find something local and within the 3 months.

[XR6TCraig]

Originally Posted by buggerlugs

Your in Mackay, is it true what they are saying that 20,000 have gone from the Mackay area in the last 18 months ?

Not sure of the numbers, but we moved from Mackay in December, and our friends are saying we were lucky to sell when we did, as there is now a glut of houses, both rental and for sale. Mackay has changed from what it was during the boom, that's for sure.

Still in the mining industry for the time being, but really want to work where I now live and be home every night to see the wife and kids.
Hope to leave on my own terms, but things are very shakey right now where I work.

[graphicgoose]

I just noticed this thread. I work in mining.

[DLR84]

My partner lost his job in the mines at Mackay about a year ago, we are in Melbourne now but still have our house up there, we are lucky and found tenants who signed a 3 year lease, i suggested we try and sell but would be losing about $150,000 at this stage....

[NAK302]

it's amusing to see these downturns really only affect the fifo. the people who actually live and work in the same town have survived their 8th or 9th downturn. there's probably a lesson there

[dazzalec]

Hi all,
Firstly hang in there guys (all workers facing possible unemployment) and the ones who have already been made unemployed. There is work out there, the only thing is you may have to travel to get it, at the moment there is a lot of foreigners here on visas. They eventually have to go when their visas run out or they get homesick. (I have worked from the Northern Territory to Cloncurry Qld. to the Pilbara to Mount Isa Qld. since April last year). I am pretty sure in this time and the 4 sites that there would be around 25-30 percent of workers in these areas on working visas. Most of them are our kiwi cousins but there are a lot of other overseas based workers as well. Please don't mis-understand, I am not racist or being derogatory in any way, I am just saying that all these people (employed under skill-shortage conditions), will have to leave eventually, as most have no intention of staying. Secondly, if you are faced with your employer going broke get in and file a claim with the Fair Entitlements Guarantee Claim as soon as you have all the required info. I've been there and done that, I used to work for ForgeGroup Construction, until and during their spectacular crash in February. 1750 employees 1 day and 40 odd the next. I was one of the lucky??? few. Do not rely on Korda Mentha to do the right thing by you, they will only try to make more money to pay themselves.
P.S. Sorry If it all sounds doom and gloom, I really think it's going to turn around soon.

[LyleXR8]

Everything runs in cycles in mining, if you e got a house in a mining town and it goes to **** you just got to ride it out til the money comes back, I've been in Kalgoorlie 8 years and seen 2 booms and 3 busts, all the long timers in town just say to relax and ride it out, you freak out when you owe 50-100k more than your house is worth but it always comes back

[buggerlugs]

Originally Posted by LyleXR8

Everything runs in cycles in mining, if you e got a house in a mining town and it goes to **** you just got to ride it out til the money comes back, I've been in Kalgoorlie 8 years and seen 2 booms and 3 busts, all the long timers in town just say to relax and ride it out, you freak out when you owe 50-100k more than your house is worth but it always comes back

But this time round the boom seemed much bigger and longer, like 6-7 years full on...............

[zilo]

Just loading and unloading stuff on my barge last week in Tassie.

Had three different guys come up to me and ask for work.

All had worked fly in/out as trade assistants.

One guy tried to convince me that he was great at anything and everything and was happy to work for 50 bucks an hour.....CASH.

Errr....rightio....I'll get back to you I said.....

[wicksy]

Originally Posted by GT-0733

it's amusing to see these downturns really only affect the fifo. the people who actually live and work in the same town have survived their 8th or 9th downturn. there's probably a lesson there

Well i'd say 75% of the people out Burton are Mackay locals, not many at our site are FIFO

[NAK302]

Originally Posted by wicksy

Well i'd say 75% of the people out Burton are Mackay locals, not many at our site are FIFO

Mackay is NOT local.
Moranbah, Dysaght, Middlemount, Claremont, Glenden are "local"

[LyleXR8]

Originally Posted by zilo

Just loading and unloading stuff on my barge last week in Tassie.

Had three different guys come up to me and ask for work.

All had worked fly in/out as trade assistants.

One guy tried to convince me that he was great at anything and everything and was happy to work for 50 bucks an hour.....CASH.

Errr....rightio....I'll get back to you I said.....

He thinks that's cheap cos he sees a man with his own island, a barge and a boat for the wife to do the shopping with!!

[TheSneakiness]

Originally Posted by zilo

One guy tried to convince me that he was great at anything and everything and was happy to work for 50 bucks an hour.....CASH.

LOL!!!

Would've told him to eff off or work for 25 an hour PAYG like everyone else.

[Road Games]

[Road Games]

The end of the Goon show :(

[dragons90]

Originally Posted by GT-0733

it's amusing to see these downturns really only affect the fifo. the people who actually live and work in the same town have survived their 8th or 9th downturn. there's probably a lesson there

Originally Posted by GT-0733

Mackay is NOT local.
Moranbah, Dysaght, Middlemount, Claremont, Glenden are "local"

I think I'd rather be unemployed for a bit then live in a mining town.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by XR6menace

image

Looks like 12 million a year in wages to me....(based on 200k a year each all up)

that's a scarey amount to employ.....

a million a month 50k a day....eeeekkkkk

keep digging that dirt....

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by zilo

Looks like 12 million a year in wages to me....(based on 200k a year each all up)

that's a scarey amount to employ.....

a million a month 50k a day....eeeekkkkk

keep digging that dirt....

Dangerous place to be working in and they are usually in the middle of nowhere though.

I'm imagining if they didn't pay such high rates it would be a struggle to get people to work there, unless they imported foreign labour, which isn't right.

[AGS302]

Originally Posted by zilo

Looks like 12 million a year in wages to me....(based on 200k a year each all up)

that's a scarey amount to employ.....

a million a month 50k a day....eeeekkkkk

keep digging that dirt....

Operators make on average about $130000/year

[buggerlugs]

Originally Posted by XR6menace

The end of the Goon show :(

image

Lay offs ??

[LyleXR8]

Originally Posted by zilo

Looks like 12 million a year in wages to me....(based on 200k a year each all up)

that's a scarey amount to employ.....

a million a month 50k a day....eeeekkkkk

keep digging that dirt....

You think that's bad, we have about 700 on staff at our site and fuel blows wages out of the water!!!!!

[AGS302]

Originally Posted by buggerlugs

Lay offs ??

Downer have been given the **** at Goonyella Riverside Mine, they were suppose to finish in September but there was an incident involving a truck going through a bund and almost over the dump zone and were ordered off site by BMA last week.

[AGS302]

Originally Posted by GT-0733

Mackay is NOT local.
Moranbah, Dysaght, Middlemount, Claremont, Glenden are "local"

Nowhere is local for Burton, Burton is 100% DIDO. Everyone stays in camp, even the Management.

[buggerlugs]

http://www.news.com.au/finance/busin...-1227034281143
If we hadn't had the mining boom..........

[wicksy]

Originally Posted by AGS302

Nowhere is local for Burton, Burton is 100% DIDO. Everyone stays in camp, even the Management.

not the best camp either haha either way burton is pretty well a skeleton crew from the 8th onwards, the big $20millon dragline is only commissioned to work 4 months out of the next 2 years