Get your assessment done and lodged here.
The Independent Workers Union of Australia (IWUA) firmly believe that all workers are entitled to be paid correctly and we put members first always!!
Coal miners are asking, “what am I owed because of the casual, coal workers, wage theft scandal?” Independent Workers Union of Australia has answers.
Take these examples:
- ‘George’ worked in Hunter Valley mines from 2013 to 2018. His assessed underpayment is $121,291.
- ‘Tom’ worked in central Queensland mines from 2013 to 2021. His underpayment? $104,473!
- ‘Peter’ who worked in Queensland from 2015 to 2022 is owed $99,999.
How did this ‘wage theft’ happen?
It’s simple.
The Black Coal Award bans the use of casual workers. Enterprise agreements were created that allowed labour hire employees to be employed as casuals. It is common knowledge that casuals are supposed to be paid 25% more. But certain EA’s have been made which ignore this which has seen coal miners paid less than the 25% loading. That’s how the underpayment happens.
In a breakthrough report in February (2024) One Nation exposed the underpayments calling it ‘wage theft.’
Wage justice for casual coal miners can only happen through special legislation. This legal door has been opened. In May (2024) the Australian Senate passed a motion requiring the government to fix this.
The motion:
- Requires the Government to investigate claims that casual miners working under enterprise agreements in the black coal mining industry are, and have been, underpaid; and
- if underpayments are found to have occurred, facilitate the reimbursement of the underpayments".
This is huge.
There are some moves currently happening to fix this issued going forward in some mines and that’s great but IWUA believe this must happen for all workers not just some.
Independent Workers Union of Australia (IWUA) has the systems for working out what each individual coal miner is owed. The IWUA will undertake an initial assessment of your current employment and employment going back to 2013, once you supply us with your income and pay rate from the relevant years.
Once we have your initial assessment we will give you a report, then with your authority we can lodge your assessment with the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) or any process the government sets up.
We (IWUA) have already lodged several initial assessments for coal miners with the FWO. Don’t miss out. Get your assessment done and lodged.
