The human face of FIFO

The Whitsunday Times Vani Naidoo | 30th September 2012 12:00 PM

A CAR door slams. Ten-year-old Georgia Upton is reaching for another rice cracker but her hand stills mid-flight.
Her face lights up with an impish grin as she puts down the skateboard and hurls herself at the figure stepping out of a well-loved Nissan Patrol.
Her five-year-old sister Imogen is hot on her heels, the youngest Upton's curls bouncing in anticipation. A tangle of limbs accompany the shrieks of delight as they jostle for position. Both girls are probably getting a bit too heavy to lift. Ashley Upton does it with ease, his delight less exuberant than theirs but there to see all the same.
 
Daddy's home.  
It is a scene that is played out along the length and breadth of this country every week as parents return home from their latest swing on the mines. Whether its fly-in and fly-out, drive-in and drive-out, three weeks on or four, Australia's resources boom is leaving an indelible mark on the very fabric of our society.
 
There are almost 300,000 people working in mining at present with that figure set to grow by at least 40,000 next year as new projects in Western Australia and Queensland especially take flight.
More than 200,000 workers are not residents in the district in which the mine operates, a sizeable number don't even live in the same state. The clamour for jobs in the mining industry has increased significantly in the past five years as we comprehend the fallout from a manufacturing sector that is almost non-existent, the collapse of thousands of small businesses as well as state and federal government cutbacks.
Suddenly the sizeable pay packets and job security offered by the resource giants have become an enticing option for blue and white collar workers alike struggling to put food on the table or just trying to get ahead.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that in Queensland, regions like the Sunshine Coast, Mackay and Rockhampton have seen their contribution to FIFO triple in the past three years, while traditional holiday spots like the Gold Coast, Hervey Bay and the Whitsundays are investing large amounts of money to become the transit lounges for this mind-boggling enterprise.
Rural towns in the Pilbara and Bowen Basin, struggling to cope with the influx, are railing against the arrival of FIFO and DIDO workers who they say are changing the feel of their communities. They point to poor infrastructure, inflated housing prices and a large number of social ills as proof the impact of this boom will have far-reaching consequences.
But the men and women who make the journey have their own demons to deal with. A rising bank balance, it seems, does not make for a watertight band aid.
Being away from family and friends, often in remote areas, for long periods of time is the main stressor for this travelling workforce.
The feelings of isolation and loneliness combined with demanding hours, negative impacts on health and skewed rosters do not make for an ideal situation.
"It was really hard at first, harder than I thought," says Ashley Upton, a boilermaker working on shutdown crews in Queensland.
"The work itself is no different but being away from your family takes a bit of getting used to.
"It gets a little easier as time goes on and you get into a routine and make friends but there is always something missing. You just get on with it and do what you have to."
Knuckling down to the task at hand seems to be the Upton mantra with Ashley's wife Amanda echoing those sentiments when talking about keeping the home ship on an even keel.
"We just got to a point where it felt like we could never get ahead," she says matter-of-factly.
"We lived simply but there were just more outgoings every month than money coming in so we decided to give it a go.
"It's not like we're after the big-ticket items, we just want to be comfortable so you're not always worrying about paying the bills.
"It is extremely emotionally draining especially in the beginning when you have to make sure everyone is coping." Her voice breaks just a little as she remembers.
"It was difficult for the girls, particularly Georgia, but eventually it starts to get better. School distracts them during the week and I just keep the weekends busy with activities and seeing family and friends.
"It's surprising how many families we know with dads working away so that makes it a bit easier for the girls. When the tears come you can at least point out that they are not alone.
"You just learn to cope."
Sandy Dean, mum to Jackson, 10, and five-year-old Jorja could probably write a book on the art of coping. Her husband Matt has had a FIFO position in Karratha, Western Australia, for the last six years.
He is meant to be home every three weeks but the reality is markedly different. More often than not his stints usually run for six weeks before he returns for seven days with his family.[lacking manpower?]
If you are about to tut-tut in disapproval, Sandy has heard it all before.
"Most of our family and friends didn't approve of our choice and probably still don't," she says.
"They thought it was unfair on Jackson and took pity on me I think. But you know at the beginning we needed the money so badly and it was our only option to get ahead so we had to do it.
"There were times when it was extremely scary and stressful especially when I was pregnant. And it's sad when I think of how much Matt missed out with Jorja. It broke his heart.
"But you get through it. You focus on the fact you are building a better future for your kids."
The effects of FIFO on the men and women who go away to work and the families they leave behind has been the subject of a federal parliamentary inquiry into the non-residential mining workforce. The report, which is expected sometime next year, will also address the socio-economic impact on host towns and the strain on infrastructure as well as the benefits associated with FIFO and the inability of the industry to function without it.
There is no doubt that mining is big business in Australia.This year alone it has generated more than $240 billion with $40 billion of that going in wages and although revenue is expected to fall next year with lower prices for some commodities, it will still account for 8.4% of Australia's gross domestic product.
Mining bosses claim there will be a skills shortage of at least 36,000 by 2015 as the push to bring new projects to fruition intensifies. Of course they are hardly blameless in that area, in part creating that skills shortage by failing to implement a practical training program. Any attempt to restrict FIFO practices, they say, will have a detrimental effect on the bottom line - the government will be biting the hand that feeds it.
But the towns that host this moving workforce or neighbour the camps in which they are housed are singing from a different hymn sheet. Central Queensland's Bowen Basin has the largest coal reserves in Australia.
Isaac Regional Council, the municipality at the heart of the Bowen Basin, has to deal with the fact that 54% of its population is non-resident with projected increases driven primarily by FIFO making it the fifth fastest growing population in the country.
In his submission to the federal inquiry former IRC mayor Cedric Marshall pointed to the region's difficulty in delivering affordable housing, ensuring an acceptable standing of living for the resident population and maintaining infrastructure bowing under the strain of an unforseen load.
He spoke about the local government's frustration of having little say in the tenure approval process for new projects, the lack of help when dealing with resulting environmental concerns and social impacts and above all the miserly compensation local councils receive to solve the problems on their doorstep.
In Queensland there is one doctor to every 850 people. In Isaac the ratio is 1:8000.A KPMG study commissioned by the council last year found that 44 doctors, 235 nurses, 72 police officers and 105 additional hospital beds were needed to make the community a viable one.
The problem that FIFO brings to municipalities like Isaac is that a relatively small rate base - in this case 23,000 residents - is subsidising a population which is actually double that. But leading mining companies insist they are paying their dues with the state and federal governments demanding billions of dollars. They argue that it is up to government to use that money to provide much-needed community infrastructure, affordable housing and health, education and emergency services.  
"In 2011, for example, Rio Tinto paid around $5 billion in corporate income tax and over $2 billion in state royalties," said Rio Tinto's government relations adviser Mark O'Neill.
"And I understand that overall, in the past decade or so, state royalties have increased four to five times in line with increased output from the sector."
While rural communities buckle under the pressure of the mining boom, the towns and cities which are providing the transient workforce have reason to smile. Regions up and down the east coast which have been struggling to support populations since the GFC are breathing a sigh of relief as the financial gains from mining jobs trickle through cash-starved local businesses.
According to the ABS 1500 Sunshine Coast residents employed in the mines in 2009 jumped to 10,000 when the latest figures were released this year, while in Mackay some 54% of residents are working in mining or supporting industries.
These centres have quickly become major players in the FIFO culture as has Townsville in Queensland's north with more than 5000 miners passing through that airport every week. Opportunities in the resource sector, even though they are difficult to secure, have been a boon for white collar workers who have fallen victim to tough economic times.
They may not be at one with the culture of the industry but the financial gains appeal, while FIFO work means families can remain near their support networks.
"We have a number of families with dads who have never gotten their hands dirty before," says Mia Hayes, the Sunshine Coast coordinator for Fifofamilies, an organisation that provides support for those who remain at home.
"There seems to be no jobs on the Coast whereas there are endless positions on the mines which can offer job security.
"Moving your family to a mining town can bring with it a unique set of problems. Wages may be high but so too is the cost of housing and groceries while access to childcare, good schools and health care is limited.
"We did think about moving the family," says Amanda Upton, "but we have a home on the Coast, the kids are settled in school with their friends and everything is familiar to them.
"If we did move Ashley would still be working 12-hour days and we wouldn't see him anyway and if he was on night shift the girls would have to tip toe around the house in the day. In the end we weighed it up and thought that unsettling everyone would be too stressful."
Objectors to FIFO highlight the possibility that children can be disadvantaged by the disruption of having a parent constantly coming and going despite the fact there is actually no empirical evidence to support that claim. They say that children will be left with a sense of loss and feelings of inadequacy.
Sandy Dean considers that argument seriously before dismissing it somewhat.
"Sometimes I worry about Jackson," she says.
"He is at that age where boys like to hang out with their dads and he often says he just wants to have a normal family.
"In our street and in his class there are so many dads away that he is not in the minority anymore. But it does tug on the heart strings and that's probably one of the reasons we are starting to think about Matt coming home now."
Ashley Upton prefers to concentrate on the time he spends at home rather than the time he is away.
"When I am home, I am totally home," he says. "I think I spend more quality time with the girls now than I was able to when I worked locally. I can do the school run, take them to their activities, just hang out.
"The girls certainly are not resentful. They know they are loved and that we are doing the best we can."
Both mining companies and mining towns are waiting impatiently on the standing committee's report and the recommendations that come from it.
The Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government Simon Crean will have much to consider. It is obvious that mining can't survive without a transient workforce of some kind. Whether the government will submit to the demands of communities under pressure and limit FIFO numbers remains to be seen.
There is little doubt that those towns most affected by the boom should see the benefits of it. They deserve at least that, a future to be proud of. But so too does Georgia Upton.

As per the above article, even the local here is having a nightmare coping with FIFO work. Townsville, where this bloke lives, is in the east coast and Karratha, where he works, is in the west coast. Not much different from a FIFO Pinoy who'd commute from home (Philippines) to work in a mining town like Karratha.  Theoretically, FIFO also means Fortnight-In-Fortnight-Out. But, in practice, that may not be the case. Due to lack of manpower, the worker may be obligated to work even up to 6 weeks before getting a week off. Monetary-wise, that's great as he'll be earning more. Ok for one who's single and unattached. Not a good idea for a family man as he'll be spending less time with family.
With influx of foreign workers, will time come when there'll be adequate manpower such that the worker can have fortnightly off for a fortnight? Unlikely. 'coz, by then, more mines will be operating not to mention many workers will be calling it quits. Believe me; life in the mines is humdrum.
So, for the single FIFO Pinoy, plan to work in the mine for, say, 5 years maximum. Then, call it quits and go home for good. But he's gotta have something to go back home to when the time comes. E.g., for skipper&company, develop Ilihan into a thriving cattle farm beforehand.
When asked Felix, "Mag-unsa man ka sa ato? Magtindag balut?", he couldn’t answer. After 6 years in Saudi, where did his money go? Too timid&scared&shy to make the people back home accountable. That's our culture. Gotta change that.
As  a former Philippine president said, "Para sa ikaunlad ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan". Discipline is a knife that cuts both ways. The recipient back home must discipline himself to accept accountability. The donor here must discipline himself to assiduously monitor the flow of his money.
5 years maximum was my plan when came here. Hangtud karon naa pa ghapon ko dinhi. Hehe.  How about my cattle farm dream? Has become a dream within a dream. Haha.
Ahhhh! There's a big difference between then and now. Now, we have the Internet and the one week off every 6 weeks of work in the mine. While at work, have a nightly update of the cattle farm venture. Then, conduct ocular inspection during week off.
Problem dealing with squatters. Very common in Philippines. Can turn this liability into an asset. Bring them into the fold. They already are. Support the schooling of their youngsters. Enrol in courses like plumbing, electrician, heavy equipment, e.g., tractor mechanic, engineering, etc. Easier now to personally check their progress as will be going home regularly.
Idea is to acquire "soft" transferable skills so can be easily accepted as apprentices and cadet engineers in the mines. Again, work in the mines 5 years maximum. Then go home and participate in the cattle farm development/expansion.
It's the utang-na-loob reciprocity theorem. Very strong in our culture. A win/win scenario in this case. They'll lead a much better life. The cattle farm will prosper. Not to mention gaining their loyalty.
 

Posted: 17/12/2012 5:00:00 AM by Mining Oil and Gas Jobs
Filed under: Job-seekers, Mining, Oil-and-gas, Energy
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Did you hear about the warning not to call in sick during the holidays issued to FIFO workers in the Pilbara last week? The news was widely reported in industry publications and mainstream media http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/15600052/fifo-workers-turn-up-or-lose-pay/ . The gist of the story was an employer told FIFO workers the only excuse they had for not showing to work over the holidays was ‘death’ and they expected to see a death certificate to prove it.

While it brewed up a small storm of criticism about whether it was ethical or even legal to issue such a notice, it’s important to understand the motivation behind the not so tongue-in-cheek warning.

24/7 production schedules
The Australian resources industry operates around the clock, every day of the year. When you accept a FIFO job, one of the hardships you must consider is time spent away from family and friends. Most production schedules make no provisions for holidays and workers are expected to show up regardless. This means you and your family will likely be separated on:
•   Birthdays
•   Anniversaries
•   Christmas
•   New Year’s Eve
•   Australia Day
•   Easter
•   ANZAC Day
                                 
In addition, FIFO workers are not always present for life’s milestones like births, marriages and funerals. While you won’t miss all of them, you need to consider whether you’re willing to make these sacrifices for your job. You’ll also want to consider whether your family is willing and able, as well.
 
Where to go for support
The FIFO life puts pressure on families during the holiday. Several different quality organisations around Australia are working to support FIFO workers and their families including:
•   Mining Family Matters http://www.miningfm.com.au/
•   FIFO Families http://www.fifofamilies.com.au/
•   Black Dog Ride http://www.blackdogride.com.au/
•   Black Dog Institute http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/
•   Beyondblue http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?

You can also check out our articles in the Mining Lifestyle Guide http://www.miningoilgasjobs.com.au/Mining/Your-mining-lifestyle-guide.aspx  for more information.

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To read more, click http://www.miningoilgasjobs.com.au/Our-Blog/December-2012/The-Hard-Part-About-Holiday-Rosters-and-the-FIFO-L.aspx

Posted: 9/01/2013 5:00:00 AM by Mining Oil and Gas Jobs
Filed under: Mining, Job-seekers
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A new spate of articles about the FIFO lifestyle is making the rounds and, as usual, a lot of negative information and opinions are being shared in the media. Without a doubt, if you and your family are not prepared to live the FIFO life, it’s going to be hard. There are plenty of things you can do and places you can go for support to ease the hardship. Thousands of families successfully navigate mining jobs on a FIFO roster and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Mining jobs ‘tough’ but so are miners
In an article in The Age, AMMA CEO Steve Knott adds a voice of reason to the issue.

''The jobs are not in Chapel Street in Melbourne, or Martin Place in Sydney. They are in the Pilbara, or offshore in gas [fields],'' where working conditions were often tough.” Mr. Knott said.

He went on to say that big mining firms are very much aware of the issues surrounding FIFO jobs for both workers and their families.

FIFO preferred by workers
Even the most informal poll of miners shows an overwhelming preference for FIFO arrangements especially when faced with moving a family to the remote work sites where mining takes place. According to Mr. Knott, about 80% of mining workers are employed on a FIFO basis. That adds up to 200,000 FIFO workers in the Australian mining industry with demand for another 100,000. Skills shortages are especially critical in engineering and geosciences roles.

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To read more, click http://www.miningoilgasjobs.com.au/Our-Blog/January-2013/How-to-Successfully-Manage-the-FIFO-Life.aspx

Ninemsn 9:29am March 18, 2013

Just one in five of Australia's fly-in fly-out and drive-in drive-out workers are directly employed in the resources sector, a study commissioned by the mining industry shows.

It comes after a federal parliamentary inquiry earlier this year heard accusations that FIFO workers were a "cancer" in Australia's rural towns because they created housing shortages, drove up real estate prices and strained limited public services.

NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee says a KPMG analysis of the 2011 census data debunks the myth that fly-in fly-out (FIFO) and drive-in drive-out (DIDO) workers are all from the mining industry.

"Of the 118,000 residents in the (NSW) Hunter Valley, just 1785 are long distance commuters and around 390 or a minuscule 0.02 per cent of our mining workforce would be classified as FIFO and DIDO workers," he said.

"Long distance commuting in our industry is the exception, not the rule."

The analysis shows a total of 64,056 workers travelled long distances from home to Australia's capital cities, including more than 28,000 in construction, around 14,000 public servants and 13,000 healthcare workers in 2011.

Miners represented 21 per cent of the total LDC workforce.

Mr Galilee said the research showed the majority of the mining workforce lived close to the mine operations where they worked.

Ninemsn 3:59pm March 6, 2013

Fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workers should be regarded as Australia's "modern day heroes", Western Australia's Premier Colin Barnett says, akin to the men who built the nation-defining Snowy Mountains irrigation scheme.

Mr Barnett made the comment in response to the federal government announcing a clampdown on the 457 visa program for temporary foreign workers, aimed at ensuring Australian workers get first preference for jobs.

While federal Treasurer Wayne Swan says he has "personal evidence" Australians are having trouble finding work in mining and other industries because overseas workers are filling jobs, Mr Barnett has not only stuck up for FIFO workers, but has also said the foreign labour is essential for WA's $237 billion economy.

Hitting back at what he said was a campaign of vilification of the FIFO workforce, Mr Barnett said those people should instead be lauded.
"FIFO workers are modern day heroes," Mr Barnett said in the final week of the state election campaign.
"They do separate from their families, they do put up with some loss of amenity, they work in harsh conditions, for long hours, doing exciting work.

"They are building this state and building this nation. You can draw a parallel with the migrant workers on the Snowy Mountain scheme - these are the modern day heroes of the economic development of Australia.

"They deserve more respect, and not to be treated like some scourge of the earth."

Around two thirds of the workforce employed in the construction of the Snowy Mountains scheme, which was finished in 1974 after 25 years, were immigrant workers originating from over 30 countries.

It is estimated the current FIFO workforce in WA totals 50,000 and is set to rise to 63,000 by 2015.

James Pearson, chief executive of the WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said he understood from the immigration department that "something less than one per cent of employers have been abusing the system".

But Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor rejected expert assessment suggesting only three per cent of temporary worker visas were questionable.

Mr Barnett said rather than clamp down on foreign workers who were willing to come to Australia to fill the positions, the government should be asking why more Australians were not willing to move where the high-paid work was.

"They (457 visas) are essential for WA in particular and we have been a big employer of 457 workers, and they go across a who lot of areas, trades, engineers, a whole scope of works," Mr Barnett said.

"I think it is a pity that in Australia more people with those skills aren't prepared to come to WA and aren't prepared to go into the Pilbara and take on these demanding, challenging, exciting jobs which are highly paid.

"That is one of the weaknesses of the Australian economy."

Australian Mining 21 March, 2013 Vicky Validakis

A conference will be held in Rockhampton next week to discuss the issues surrounding FIFO workers in Central Queensland.
Independent MP Tony Windsor, Capricornia's Kirsten Livermore and resource industry leaders will be amongst the speakers at the conference, The Bulletin reported.
 
The conference is set to discuss how the balance between the needs of regional communities and mining companies who use a transient workforce can be better managed.

Capricorn Enterprise CEO Mary Carroll said with Central Queensland set to receive $146 billion worth of investment over the next decade, it was important to strike the right balance.

"It is critical that we ensure that workers are carefully balanced between FIFO and resident opportunities in order for the region to see long-term benefit from this boom," Carroll said.

"Latest population statistics certainly reflect the growth that our greater CQ region is experiencing.

"Whilst the incredibly strong growth predicted for the Capricorn Coast has not come as a surprise, the fact that its percentage growth rate is ahead of Mackay and Townsville proves our destination is well and truly being sought after for people to live, work, play and invest."

A new report examining the impacts FIFO and DIDO has on regional communities was released last month exposing the downsides of using a transient workforce http://www.miningaustralia.com.au/news/fifo-damages-regional-communities-report .

The findings of the 209-page report were tabled in Parliament last month, making 21 recommendations to government and 14 to industry including better resourcing communities under pressure from large FIFO workforces and removing tax benefits for companies using transient workforces.

The report found that an influx of temporary workers is creating housing shortages, driving up prices, and straining public services.

Independent MP Tony Windsor, who chaired the committee, wrote in the report's foreword that governments of all levels needed to recognise and act on the issues impacting regional communities who were hosting large FIFO workforces.

Windsor said a policy mix was needed to ensure FIFO did not lead to "a hollowing out of established regional towns."
The conference will be held at the Rockhampton Plaza Hotel, George St on Monday and Tuesday

Australian Mining 13 February, 2013 Vicky Validakis

A new report examining the impacts FIFO and DIDO has on the community was released today exposing the downsides of using a transient workforce.

The Standing Committee on Regional Australia spent almost 18 months examining how FIFO and DIDO affected workers, their families and regional communities.

The findings of the 209-page report were tabled in Parliament this morning, making 21 recommendations to government and 14 to industry including better resourcing communities under pressure from large FIFO and DIDO workforces and removing tax benefits for companies using transient workforces.

Independent MP Tony Windsor, who chaired the committee, wrote in the report's foreword that governments of all levels needed to recognise and act on the issues going on in regional communities.

“….the work practice is eroding the liveability of some regional communities to such an extent that it is increasingly removing the choice to ‘live-in’ rather than simply ‘cash-in',” Windsor wrote.

"Regional communities need a champion. This report calls for a champion."

"It recognises that there are some circumstances where FIFO/DIDO is warranted - for construction and very remote operations.
"But for operational positions located near existing regional communities, every effort should be made to make FIFO/DIDO the exception rather than the rule."

CFMEU national president Tony Maher said mining companies should be made to prove there is no reasonable alternative before being allowed to have a FIFO work base.

“It’s time the mining companies were held to account for the damage they are inflicting on regional communities, workers and their families,” he said.

“The impacts of FIFO and DIDO work arrangements on individuals, families, communities and the broader economy are so great that decisions should not rest on mining companies’ bottom lines.”

Maher wants mining companies to invest in communities and build towns so that workers have options around living arrangements.

“Often, workers are given no choice to live in a community with their family – FIFO and DIDO are the only options.”
“Over time we are seeing the fallout from FIFO – diminishing services in regional areas, social discord with large groups of single men camped on the edge of country towns, and the growing failure of mining companies to invest in training for young Australians.”

The report has called for more comprehensive research into the impact of FIFO/DIDO on both regional communities and FIFO/DIDO workers, families and children to be conducted.

The committee also recommends that the Commonwealth develop a best-practice guide for employers with significant non-resident workforces aimed at assisting them to develop their own family support programs.

Australian Mining 1 August, 2012 Olav Muurlink

“FIFO is the biggest con ever perpetrated by the large mining companies. After fatigue is taken into account, your usable time off is often less than 75% and sometimes as little as 50%. The large salaries are not a substitute for slowly killing yourself, your family and your marriage.”

These words come from a Perth-based train driver hooked into the express that is Australian mining. The 40-something union member is part of the revolution that has swept Australian mining. Despite a hefty paypacket, he sleeps more nights in a “donga camp” 1400 kilometres from home than he does under his own roof. Whereas 30 years ago, the typical Australian shift worker was a nurse, police officer, or other front-line emergency worker, Bureau of Statistics figures show that mining is single-handedly changing the face of the night owls. Mining is now the industry with the highest proportion of men who work shifts (52%), and while the mining industry, despite its high profile, only represents a small slice of the total workforce (2%), miners such as the train driver we quoted, have seen the eight-hour-day and home-in-time-for-tea lifestyles sacrificed to the productivity demands of resources exporters.

Take the train driver’s example. Not for him the steady night shift of the security officer, but instead, a continually rotating schedule involving morning, afternoon and day shifts, which the evidence suggests is particularly hard on the human immune system. His schedule sees him home in Perth only one week out of four, which means that his work has effectively divorced him from his home. He’s rarely there to see his children off to school. Such is the pressure to pump out coal and iron ore 24 hours a day, some companies have even sacrificed Christmas to production.

A Griffith University team, funded by the federal government’s Australian Research Council and the CFMEU Mining and Energy division, is conducting one of the largest longitudinal studies of the social, physical, and psychological impacts of shift work: the Australian Coal and Energy Survey (ACES). While the study of over 2500 miners and over 1900 of their partners is large, in fact the respondents under-represent the stress in the industry. Those who stay in mining, such as our respondents, are characterised by a resilience that the average Australian doesn’t share. Over 20% of those lured by the big money drop out within the first few months. They simply can’t handle the pace.

There are, of course, plenty who love the job, with the bigger slabs of days off that it can bring), but even the “thrivers” and “survivors” are showing the strain.

While only the first wave of ACES data is in, and thus we can’t make any definite conclusions about what causes what, it is obvious that the changes that are taking place are taking place without the ‘consent of the governed’. That is, many workers don’t feel in control of the changes, and they don’t feel safe. Over a third claim that they had no choice but to accept shift work. Close to 60% say they have no say at all over the amount of hours they work, two thirds say they have no say over the types of shift or which set of shifts they work, over 70% have no say over start and finish times—and this doesn’t include those who say they have only “some” say over these factors. Depriving workers of control over such fundamental aspects of their working life does have serious consequences.

Looking at minor illnesses such as headaches, flu and abdominal pain, those who reported having no say over their hours, for example, reported an average of 1.83 illnesses on the compound scale we used in ACES, compared to 1.59 amongst those who reported having greater say. Workers who wanted to work fewer hours reported an average of 1.85 short-term illnesses, compared to 1.61 amongst those who were content with the number of hours they were working. Amongst those who wanted to work fewer hours and claimed no say over their hours, the average number of short-term illnesses was as high as 1.98. These differences remained significant even when age was controlled for.

Minor illnesses, it is true, but such disorders act as a marker of immunosuppression, and links with more serious illnesses such as ulcers, heart disease, and even cancer, are beginning to appear in the literature. There is no doubt that the revolution in mining has brought with it great wealth – to shareholders and to ordinary Australians working in the mines alike – and that wealth is certainly a significant factor playing in the minds of those who choose to follow the centuries-old dream of seeking one’s fortunes far from the cities. However, the costs are mounting.

As a final word, a 47-year-old truck operator was asked: “Is there anything else you would like to say about work or your shift patterns?"

He said: “I don’t know whether it would have happened anyway due to age, but since being in mining … I feel I have really pushed myself and my body too far due to the shift work. I’ve never been so sick than I have over the past five years. I hardly ever went to the doctor all my life and now I live at the doctor’s. I truly feel that my environment at work and home is unhealthy and the shift work is a killer. I don’t think I will be in mining for much longer.”

Olav Muurlink, through Griffith University, receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Mining and Energy Division of the Construction, Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU). He is affiliated with the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing. In his former role as managing director of Free Media, he operated a workforce that was partially required to engage in shift work in the performance of their roles.