‘Gutting trust’: Rio Tinto to slash FIFO workers’ sick leave

Mining giant Rio Tinto has made the “unilateral” decision to cut sick leave entitlements for FIFO workers, causing outrage among representative unions.

The sick and carer’s leave policy at Rio Tinto’s iron ore mine has undergone a review, leading to a proposal from the mining giant to cut sick leave entitlements by around 70 per cent – decreasing the contemporary sick leave from 49 days annually to 12.

This would leave the designated sick days leave for fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workers barely above Australia’s employment standard of 10, which the Western Mine Workers Alliance (WMWA) has claimed will put pressure on employees to work while they are sick – despite the strenuous timetables a number of them adhere to.

According to the alliance, the proposed changes were not negotiated with the workforce or their unions and “completely disregards the physical and mental toll of FIFO work”.

“This is not a perk people rorted. It’s a policy that gave workers the confidence to show up, day in and day out, knowing they’d be supported if something went wrong,” said Brad Gandy, Australian Workers Union (AWU) West Australian secretary.

“Stripping it away doesn’t just cut an entitlement, it guts trust.”

As reported by The Australian Financial Review, the mine claimed that the changes would alleviate pressure and create a fairer system for workers, as the increased rates of sick leave were placing a heavy burden on the workloads of staff.

In a statement given to HR Leader, a Rio Tinto spokesperson claimed that a people survey “promoted” the review of the sick and carer’s leave policy at the iron ore mine.

“The proposed changes are designed to ensure fairness for all employees. This includes up to 12 months of sick and carer’s leave at full pay, including allowances, in the event of serious illness or injury, which we believe would be industry-leading.

“We are currently consulting with our people about these proposed changes.”

Despite Rio reiterating that “the safety and wellbeing of our people is our top priority” and the consensus that they offer better employee benefits than competitors across the sector, the alliance persisted with the claim that they are trampling on longstanding entitlements – stressing the importance of union involvement.

“The only protection workers have from this kind of greedy corporate rug-pulling is a strong, enforceable collective agreement,” said Gandy.

Greg Busson, West Australian Mining and Energy Union (MEU) secretary, said: “This is a very timely example of precisely why we have been campaigning for an EBA at Rio.”