Miners Union denied free access to workers at isolated BHP Cannington mine

The AWU miners union is calling on the Federal Government to immediately scrap mining industry AWAs following the death of a mine worker yesterday at the isolated BHP Cannington mine 250 kilometres south east of Mt Isa.

Ben Swan, AWU Assistant National Secretary

" These AWAs are a failed experiment which have created a culture of silence amongst workers in dangerous occupations working in isolated parts of Australia often without the support of their loves one who live miles away in the relative comfort of urban centres," Ben Swan, AWU Assistant National Secretary said today.

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" Right now the AWU has its organiser, 'Hag' Harrison, on site but BHP is forcing him to sit in a room they have nominated,and virtually daring any employee to walk past a manager and talk to the union about this awful incident.

" Immediately we heard about the death we sent 'Hag' up there to provide independent support and advice to the mine workers at this tragic time.

" This is not the first time that BHP has sought to deny the democratic right of these workers to have their voices clearly heard, independent of the constraints of management. Unfortunately in December 2006 a 19 year old miner was killed at Cannington.

" At that time BHP refused one of Australia's most admired and qualified OHS officials Dr Yossi Berger access to the workforce. When the AWU sent him up to investigate that incident he was only allowed to speak to two mine managers and was barred from speaking to any employees, let alone AWU members.

" The company is creating a culture of fear. They are dividing worker and worker. A mine is no place to have this type of work culture. Down a mine workers need to know they cn depend on each other as well as their shift bosses. They need a culture of trust to be developed.

" As part of that trust the workforce needs to know they can speak openly about their safety concerns to people they know can give them quality, decent and independent advice.

" The AWU as the miners union with the most expertise in this key workplace issue must be allowed to talk to the workforce. BHP has used mining AWAs to deny this important democratic workplace right," Ben Swan, AWU Assistant National Secretary said.