Who works in the mines... not many, if any.

[Damo 69]

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/national/bhp-billiton-half-year-net-loss-of-a784-billion/news-story/d3016414d40c2fc0217fd5a363a677b6?sv=601bc9a1633d71 6f93d46fff064e0e7a&utm_source=Perth%20Now&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial

oh dear

[BOSS 290]

Maybe a thread rename to "Who worked in the mines..." Would be appropriate.

[Lump]

lol, still some of us left :)

[Byah!]

Iron ore over $50

Break out the champagne boys, booms back!!!!!:p

[Damo 69]

Iron ore over $50

Break out the champagne boys, booms back!!!!!:p

cammed ss utes are on a price surge now

[mr_mike]

Dammit I was in the market for a cheap jetski

[Phildo]

Iron ore over $50

Break out the champagne boys, booms back!!!!!:p

About bloody time!

Didn't realise that China had such a sense of humour to pull off such a trolling attempt.

Funny bastards.

Time to get on the phone and borrow $999,999 to buy a $1,000,000 house.

[Lump]

^PM mys1

[Denver]

Don't know how long it'll stay that high. Every analysist predicted it'd be in the mid to low 30's by now.

Could bomb again soon. For Fmg's sake it'd want to stay well above the mid 30's as 35 bucks was the break even for them.

[Byah!]

http://i1375.photobucket.com/albums/ag447/ayresaidan/platts_zpspwg6amhy.jpg

http://i1375.photobucket.com/albums/ag447/ayresaidan/And_its_gone_original_zps68qghzaa.jpg

[Brett_J]

Missus is loving being at Wheatstone working for the client instead of being on Barrow, the benefits of working directly for the client helps a lot, hearing the people whinge about their conditions is hilarious to her, have it so much better than other places.

[2LMILK]

Don't know how long it'll stay that high. Every analysist predicted it'd be in the mid to low 30's by now.

Could bomb again soon. For Fmg's sake it'd want to stay well above the mid 30's as 35 bucks was the break even for them.

C1 cost is about $16/t currently. Forrest had a nice speech this morning about dirt in our lungs

[TJ]

Foolish for believing a word he says

C1 cost - but what about total business cost?

The one Neville refuses to answer

[j3rk]

Missus is loving being at Wheatstone working for the client instead of being on Barrow, the benefits of working directly for the client helps a lot, hearing the people whinge about their conditions is hilarious to her, have it so much better than other places.

Wheatstone is easily the best site / camp i've been to. Good facilities, everything just works.
I also had a chuckle at a few people who think its horrible.

She's CBI yeah? ...I'm back up tomorrow...

Side fact - a few of the big Aussie Oil rigs have a base price of $15 per barrel. Others are upwards of $30.
Only recently did I become aware that a few operate so cheap.

[Brett_J]

She's CBI yeah? ...I'm back up tomorrow...



Chevron

[Denver]

C1 cost is about $16/t currently. Forrest had a nice speech this morning about dirt in our lungs

c1 is just the cost to dig it and rail it, its not including shipping and royalties, or the loan repayments, all in cost is around the 35 buck mark..

bhp is around 17 bucks all in..

[flamo_damo]

Wheatstone is easily the best site / camp i've been to. Good facilities, everything just works.

This!

Could not agree more.

[crabman]

Scored trainee of the year, here's hoping that helps me get a permanent gig at VI at the end of the year.

[Alt_F4]

Benefits & assistance payments went under the knife early this week, now marching orders for many around RT.

[Damo 69]

need 43 shop drawings done for precast concrete drainage pits, roughly 2m tall (varies from 1.2 to 2.45) and all 1.5x1.5 can provide cad files of all the info you need.

PM me cost, and time required to complete, not a cashy, must have a business I can transfer cash into from a OS bank account.

[S133LTR]

Benefits & assistance payments went under the knife early this week, now marching orders for many around RT.

Yet to hear anything about assistance payments getting the chop.. any more details on that man?

[bptcapri]

I've been told that gym membership, parking payments and a few other small things gone at Rio. no biggie really. haven't heard anything about redundancy yet

[ossie_21]

Facebook acquaintance who's been working up north for a while posted a pic about his redundancy coming in & he looks very happy with it, must be some decent payouts going on around at the moment

[Alt_F4]

Yet to hear anything about assistance payments getting the chop.. any more details on that man?
From memory, rent assistance axed and relocation assistance cut in half were the main ones.

[S133LTR]

Relocation payments reduced I could imagine but I would be very suprised if rent assistance was taken away. It has been reduced over the past year or two but if it had been axed people would have been screaming from the hills by now.

[-Luke-]

From what I read today some niceties (ie Gym and Profressional Organisation membership subsidys) have been axed and the bigger ticket items (relocation/rental/etc) have been capped to more realistic post boom levels.

[TJ]

Have been told RT will shed up to 600 through 2016.

[Fukushima]

this is all great for the rest of us

[munt]

Will be interesting to see what happens with all the 4th years at RT finishing soon, end of contract so no redundancy to pay out

[crabman]

Cheaper to take them on and make the positions the old timers, getting paid double/triple the amount, go

[S133LTR]

From what I read today some niceties (ie Gym and Profressional Organisation membership subsidys) have been axed and the bigger ticket items (relocation/rental/etc) have been capped to more realistic post boom levels.

Yeah ok.. thst had been happening for the majority of last year to be implemented mid year.. not really new news.

[Denver]

Heard a rumor RT will be getting rid of paying for the flights of those living in the east as well.

[-Luke-]

Yeah that's been on the cards for a while. Pretty sure its already been canned for cat1 contractors engaged for outside of Perth.

Plus they took away the bicsuits. Shits done man.

[S133LTR]

National Fifo has been gone for about 3 years.. they have been slowly weeding out the remaining interstate fifo guys.

[Bomber]

BHP is still paying flights for interstaters. How long for is anyone's guess. As always we won't be told anything until the decision has been made

[Lump]

^do you work for bhp? all the eastern staters at WB I work with pay for their own ( mech engineers on 8/6 or 5/2 , 4/3 )

[Tocchi]

Cat1 have to pay own connecting flights if interstate.

They will offer 4/3 to national FIFO employees... Easy way to avoid redundancy payments

[turboknapp]

BHP is still paying flights for interstaters. How long for is anyone's guess. As always we won't be told anything until the decision has been made
This is only on existing contracts, plus its salary sacrifice BHP stopped paying for full flights when WAIO started. Well that is in Iron Ore, cant see the other CSG's wearing the costs considering Iron Ore is supporting the business.

Reading between the lines from the mid year comms from the ExCo, no bonus or pay reviews.

Im happy to just still have a strong job

[Denver]

Yeah no bonus is the word. Bit shit. I only just started there last year. Given they sell the bonus as part of your remuneration package.

[Passage GT]

still in touch with plenty of people in rail at RT, quite a few of them based on the east coast and no mention of having to pay for their own flights.

[mr_mike]

cant they just take the train :P

[Phildo]

A few months ago a FIFO person I was talking to was explaining to me how the company that he was working for lost the contract for the mine site, and that the replacing contracting company was only hiring people that live in Perth.

He wasn't happy about that, as he flies in from Sydney. He pays for the flights from Sydney to Perth, so there was no cost to anyone but him.

I put it to him to set up a fake address and have a mail redirect. He wasn't too keen on that, but what's the worst that could happen... he gets fired six months after he would have been made redundant anyway?

Shit, maybe I should go into business doing that... something like how foreign companies have an office in Amsterdam to avoid paying tax in the countries in which they trade.

[TJ]

There is risk

- fatigue issues
- misses a flight or delays on incoming flight

[thommo]

You have to fly in a day early to do it

[TJ]

Problem is lots of people claim to do so, then don't.

[Phildo]

There is risk

- fatigue issues
- misses a flight or delays on incoming flight

That's what I figured. There is no advantage for the employer to have staff residing 4,000km away, so why bother?

The pool of staff available in Perth is now big enough to draw from. Companies don't need to go looking beyond Perth for staff.

[Tocchi]

It is not operators usually flying in from over east - it's higher up consultant specialists or engineers

[TJ]

Not in my experience Matt - sure there is tons of top end guys, but plentttttttttty of operators too

[Tocchi]

West side to ride the night

http://youtu.be/41qC3w3UUkU

[Denver]

As tj said, lots, and reckon a good 20-30% of the fifo work force comes from the east, and mainly operators, a lot do end up moving to WA but there is a large portion who still live in the east.

[j3rk]

It would be closer to 60-80% from what i've seen of the LNG industry. Any operations FIFO workers.

[Poktrokt]

BHP is still paying flights for interstaters. How long for is anyone's guess. As always we won't be told anything until the decision has been made

Only for those with minimum 7 day break. This was introduced just over 3 years ago. 8/6 etc all pay their own interstate flights.

[munt]

Got the talk today at RT that theres gonna be redundancys in our department, apparently they are trying a new thing where they warn everyone first.

[Evman]

Start collecting the stationary now in case you're made redundant

[-Luke-]

What dept Munt?

[munt]

Stationary would go well with my lifetime supply of gloves...Personally have immunity for 1 more year being an apprentice but everyone else is stressin hard, especially the national FIFO guy.

Im utilities

[S133LTR]

Many fifos left in utilities matt?

[munt]

Hard to speak for the power and water guys because i dont see them often but id guess 2/3rds are residential. When i started 3 years ago on my panel of 8ish people therr were 2 residential, now 6 are residential. Most jumped over last year when everything was turning bad.

[S133LTR]

Hope all goes well for you and your crews then man. Sux to see people losing their jobs.

[Bomber]

^do you work for bhp? all the eastern staters at WB I work with pay for their own ( mech engineers on 8/6 or 5/2 , 4/3 )

Yes, at Area C.

[Alt_F4]

FMG up ~25% today

A not so insignificant jump, haven't seen a big news to support the movement though?

[Tocchi]

big news just in, Buckets is going require a mail order bride due to being FIFO.

[Bomber]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160307/5ab84392544032c4d038da1e2151ee4c.jpg
LOL, gotta love tapatalk ads

[Alt_F4]

FMG up ~25% today

A not so insignificant jump, haven't seen a big news to support the movement though?
Just saw spot price... never mind.
Fucking hope it keeps moving this way.

[S13]

Just saw spot price... never mind.
Fucking hope it keeps moving this way.

MOU with Vale

Short covering on stock + market up

Iron ore price up... after chinese new year like it always does

[Byah!]

Nah its them flower shows pushing the price up

Platts Index
62% Fe 64.20 +10.70
58% Fe 54.70 +10.70
58% Fe low AI 58.70 +10.70
Freight 2.95 +0.05

MBIO Index
62% Fe 63.74 +9.99
58% Fe 54.84 +10.30
58% H premium 3.00 +0.50

TSI Index
62% Fe 62.60 +10.20
58% Fe 58.00 +13.80

Mysteel Index
62% Fe 63.65 +10.25
58% Fe 58.30 +10.50

Key points from today’s report:
- Brazil exported 16.66mt of iron ore to China in Feb, up 43% from 11.62mt in the same period last year.
- A flower show in China's steel heartland may be partly responsible for the 20% surge in iron ore prices yesterday, according to market talk picked up by Morgan Stanley analyst.

[GrahamGTR]

FMG up ~25% today

A not so insignificant jump, haven't seen a big news to support the movement though?

I can only guess somebody knew the ore price would go up 19% the next day or that FMG would announce that Vale is looking to buy 15% stake in the company but hey I'm sure it's just a coincidence.

[Tocchi]

Nah its them flower shows pushing the price up

Platts Index
62% Fe 64.20 +10.70
58% Fe 54.70 +10.70
58% Fe low AI 58.70 +10.70
Freight 2.95 +0.05

MBIO Index
62% Fe 63.74 +9.99
58% Fe 54.84 +10.30
58% H premium 3.00 +0.50

TSI Index
62% Fe 62.60 +10.20
58% Fe 58.00 +13.80

Mysteel Index
62% Fe 63.65 +10.25
58% Fe 58.30 +10.50

Key points from today’s report:
- Brazil exported 16.66mt of iron ore to China in Feb, up 43% from 11.62mt in the same period last year.
- A flower show in China's steel heartland may be partly responsible for the 20% surge in iron ore prices yesterday, according to market talk picked up by Morgan Stanley analyst.


where do you find those prices?
i can't find any info on the commodities prices, except for the usual ASX and stuff like that

[Byah!]

its a daily company email....but yeah the info is pretty hard to find out in the open

[-Luke-]

Atlas shares up 150%

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/01/article-2550245-1B225D3100000578-998_634x433.jpg

[Lump]

got a tricky little project at work on some fixed plant - has anyone ever seen a small/mini telehandler that has rotary forks? - like the ones Ive seen on small forklifts.
need to be able to pick something up & rotate thru 90 DEG. ('Z' axis when facing it)

[Bomber]

Ask the tyre fitters?

[mys1]

Ask the tyre fitters?

Tyre Handler attachments only rotate and side shift left and right (regardless of Forklift or loader based)

[crabman]

Only, only. Is that a double negative? My mind has been blown lol.

[Passage GT]

I did some heavy duty tyre fitting with a grab truck, had rotation as well as all the other normal movements you'd expect from a crane.

[mys1]

Only, only. Is that a double negative? My mind has been blown lol.

Brain Fart - did not compute.

Grab truck has a better range of movement yes

[Bomber]

Yea, if the thing that is required to be lifted and turned through 90 degrees can handle compressive forces and is within the specs of the tyre handler it can be done

[Lump]

its a pretty confined area (under a bucket wheel reclaimer), but thanks for the idea, its something I had not considered & sounds interesting.

[mys1]

Franner with a suspended fork attachment?

[Lump]

franna is too big, I'm going to check out a small manitou TH tomorrow & design a rotating lifting jig it can use - well thats the plan.
cheers

[Damo 69]

check out the standard attachments made by "bobcat" for the telelhandlers and skid steers, plenty of off the shelf items that tie into existing hydraulic system

[munt]

Lost a guy to redundancy this morning, was the only national fifo in our team.

[-Luke-]

Restructure in Our dept as well has seen a couple of roles go. My role hasn't changed but we've somehow managed to add an additional layer into the structure.

[S133LTR]

Bad luck with your guy Munt.. national fifo had prly been lucky to slip through as long as he did.

Im off work with a broken foot still waiting to see how our dept has been affected.

[-Luke-]

WTF happened to your foot?

[S133LTR]

Rolled ankle ripped shit up, broke #5 metatasel just under 3 weeks ago.. not work related bud, just unlucky/stupid.

[-Luke-]

Sounds painful! I've not heard too many rumours about guys going off the floor at this stage but i'm pretty far removed to be fair.

[S133LTR]

I think we took our hit when we axed 20 something fifos in the first round of redundancy.. from here it would end up being an entirely contract work force in our section which I cant honestly see.

We do still have shit loads of co-ordinators/surplus supervisory roles/etc though..

[-Luke-]

I know RSM has lost 1 Short Term Planner and 1 RE but unsure of the co-ord's/supervisors.

We are in a similar boat as you guys. If any roles go now from our team a specific functions stops. Not to say they won't offshore they whole deal in the future but for know I think we are as lean as we can get.

[Alt_F4]

Actual layoffs still to happen but we had a meeting Monday to give us a heads up that a major restructure is about to happen.

[S133LTR]

Its sad because the offshore departments are fucking ridiculously bad. I have been hearing alot about housing and hr going that way but not sure if there is any truth in it. I do know our site based hr ppl have all been pulled back to perth which is also a shame as it makes them alot harder to deal with.

[S133LTR]

Where are you T?

[-Luke-]

Agree 100pc on the offshore departments. Getting master data changes in SAP is painfully slow and usually results in us sharing screens and literally directing them through each step. We've all had out access pulled yet have to walk the contractors through the process.

[Tocchi]

All I'll say is expect a lot to go offshore. I'm getting sms's telling me Perth based doc controllers are doing a "skynet" ... Taking over site based document ownership etc and removing them from fdms... Essentially they are trying to limit the roles of the office based roles on site

[Alt_F4]

Drawing Office in Wesley.
I develop & maintain the document/drawing system (EDM) for RTIO.

Our department includes contracts and the project delivery teams.
Project delivery is going to get hit the hardest by the sound of it.

Don't get me started on offshore teams...

[munt]

Have to deal with india quite often to change switch configs.. Ive given up trying to talk on the phone because i just cant understand them. Will add them on communicator and share my desktop, atleast they can type english.

Apparently that guy who got zapped in the roof yesterday used to be a signals supervisor here at 7mile.

[jr]

Drawing Office in Wesley.
I develop & maintain the document/drawing system (EDM) for RTIO.

Our department includes contracts and the project delivery teams.
Project delivery is going to get hit the hardest by the sound of it.

Don't get me started on offshore teams...

What floor you on? I'm on level 2 with Jacobs

My Mrs was with Rio HR, all transactional HR is now in the Philipines, along with payroll.

[Alt_F4]

Bye Sam

[-Luke-]

WTF is that all about?

[Satan]

good bloke Sam, met him a few times

time to go out on a high

[waxdass]

karratha gas plant letting go a shit load of Downers boys this week/month.

[Phildo]

Off-topic question: Anyone here that was FIFO, got laid off and had to rebuild their life? ie no trade skills, so not very employable in the current job market.

We keep hearing numbers and stats... various suicides... anyone wanna gives us their personal insight?

What happened/got re-employed/still unemployed/bank foreclosing tomorrow/was prepared/was not prepared/etc?

[S133LTR]

Common misconception FIFO workers have no trade skills. Vast majority of people on site these days have one or more trades, if they didn't they generally wouldnt have got a start.

[Buckets]

Common misconception FIFO workers have no trade skills. Vast majority of people on site these days have one or more trades, if they didn't they generally wouldnt have got a start.

Unless I decide to become a Jihadi or a slave master my skill set is by and large worth next to fuck all outside of mining.

[Phildo]

Unless I decide to become a Jihadi or a slave master my skill set is by and large worth next to fuck all outside of mining.

That's what I was getting at. Skills that were previously worth big money in mining might not have a commercial value elsewhere.

What's your skill set?

What's your backup plan in case of redundancy?

---------------------------------------------------------------

The slave master thing has merit. Is that a quickie two day course, or a full-blown entire semester at TAFE?

[1SPRINT]

I'm a mechanic by trade and couldn't give a fuck if I got a redundancy, I actually want to get one as it will be enough to pay my house off leaving me debt free.

[Buckets]

Will go drive for Uber while distributing meth on the side.

[Damo 69]

Bye Sam

Walsh gone?

[Alt_F4]

Walsh gone?
Yep Sam Walsh retiring July 1.
Successor is J-S Jacques from Copper & Coal group.
He'll move into the number two spot immediately until Sam retires.

[j3rk]

Will go drive for Uber while distributing meth on the side.

This is also my redundancy plan.
Minus the uber driving... I have a lifestyle to maintain.

[Frenchy]

A heap of redundancies at Boddington over the week also.
Survived the cut but dropped some bonus % and pay grade. I was offered a very nice redundancy along side the role but as above, I don't actually have a trade as I have been in mining since 1999. I have some certs I have gained over the years but there is just not much out there to align with them, or I've been out of the loop too long.

[n1ghth4wk]

What area Frenchy? We know what the results will be for us through the grape vine but have to wait for 'official' decisions.

[-Luke-]

I'm pretty confident that if I get laid off my internet shit posting skills will see me through.

[Alt_F4]

I'm just going to pretend I didn't get laid off, worked for Tocchi.

[Frenchy]

What area Frenchy? We know what the results will be for us through the grape vine but have to wait for 'official' decisions.
Ops, Tech services and SCM.
Email came out that they had finished redundancies on Thursday

[Greg Rust]

Any idea how many RTIO people were layed off this week, two guys that I dealt with in reliability engineering fixed plant and utilities went.

[-Luke-]

I know of about 35 from Rail.

[Tocchi]

I'm just going to pretend I didn't get laid off, worked for Tocchi.

http://assets.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/130723/george.jpgp

http://ethicsalarms.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/costanza-desk-drumming.jpg

http://kramersapartment.com/wp-content/uploads/george-babe-ruth-uniform-the-muffin-tops-seinfeld.jpg

[Phildo]

Will go drive for Uber while distributing meth on the side.

UberMeth?

[Darkside]

Will go drive for Uber while distributing meth on the side.

The perfect crime. Would you like some water or meth...erm mints?

[tinto]

http://ethicsalarms.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/costanza-desk-drumming.jpg


Is that the Penske file?

[2jzlux]

Any idea how many RTIO people were layed off this week, two guys that I dealt with in reliability engineering fixed plant and utilities went.

Would be at least 100-150

[Buckets]

The perfect crime. Would you like some water or meth...erm mints?

Amazing potential innit ;)

[crabman]

Short notice roster change, kind of annoying as I didn't get to send my stuff home, but I get to spend a few swings on the Ningaloo Vision FPSO and stoked about that.

[TJ]

Looking for a hygiene tech

http://www.seek.com.au/job/30868211?pos=1&type=standard&engineConfig=&userqueryid=146046881304132987&tier=no_tier&whereid=3000

And if you have DML and Pit Viper experience, looking for a driller/blast crew guy on an 8/6-7/7 roster.

Get at me.

[munt]

Word is theres more rio cuts in a month or so :(

[Alt_F4]

Not much left to cut :/

[stanis90]

Word is theres more rio cuts in a month or so :(

I Heard mid year when JS takes over and I think my department's going to cop it.

[kamahl31]

Anyone else got the new hilux's at work? We've got a few from thrifty up north and whenever you plant your foot on the gas they all go into a bit of a limp mode, engine light on and won't go into top gear even etc... Apparently there's some sort of mine spec limiter in them, is there a way to get rid of it? Like all we have to do to get rid of it is stop and flick the isolator on n off, but it's still annoying as it does it when you're going around road trains when you need it to keep pedalling most.

[Alt_F4]

A 32-year-old Landsdale man has died at one of Rio Tinto’s Pilbara mines.
Police were called to the Channar mine site near Paraburdoo around 12.30am today after reports of a workplace incident. The worker had fatal injuries
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/regional/north-west/a/31873496/mine-site-fatality-in-paraburdoo/

Found out when I got into work, media knows more than is being released internally so far.
RIP

[n1ghth4wk]

Official announcement's been made that we are out of BGM in a couple of months for CM taking over... Not good job-wise.

[skidkid]

Anybody out at Mount Keith for Nickel West?

[TJ]

Don't

[Buckets]

Best 2 days of my working life at Mt Keith right before 5 planes day in 09. A whole bunch of us were taken straight from the induction back in to camp to get our redundos along with about 1/2 the other employees. 13 weeks plus a months notice plus prorata bonus ect ect from day one. Only BHP would be retarded enough to do that. :p

I hear she's a sad old joint now though. You going there for a gig with Golders or looking to jump the fence ?

[huggy_b]

I think he's on a Golders recon. Carrying Jess' baby and being a stay at home dad won't gel with FIFO in Mt Keith.

[American Dave]

ahhhh me Mt Grief

[Tre-Cool]

Anybody out at Mount Keith for Nickel West?

I did a 4 month job out there back in 04 or 05, i liked it. mind you it was the first fifo i had ever done (not first camp though).

[Alt_F4]

Any one worked at Roy Hill out at the airport? i.e. office.
Or just general comments about working for them?

Seen a job advertised that looks quite good, similar to what I'm already doing at RTIO.

[evoeata]

Anybody out at Mount Keith for Nickel West?

i worked next door at cliffs underground in 09-11. both sites share the same camp. good setup there, good sized bar, dry mess and gym. most of the rooms are new and in good condition. fly up with alliance on jets with a bitumen airstrip. flights were in and out almost every day when i was there. telstra phone reception everywhere so never any problems calling home. went over to mt keith a few times, workshop looked pretty well setup but didnt see much else.

[skidkid]

Yeah I'm stuck up here for 2 weeks doing some enviro work. Not bad so far, fucking cold, but the camp seems good enough. Avis were also dumb enough to give me a brand new Hilux with 200km on the clock, wonder how long that'll last.

[Lump]

Any one worked at Roy Hill out at the airport? i.e. office.
Or just general comments about working for them?

Seen a job advertised that looks quite good, similar to what I'm already doing at RTIO.
linkage please?

[Alt_F4]

linkage please?
Not drafting but here you go
http://www.linkedin.com/jobs2/view/156586714

[Lump]

yeah not for me, Im very happy with my setup.
thanks

[HotAe92]

Yeah I'm stuck up here for 2 weeks doing some enviro work. Not bad so far, fucking cold, but the camp seems good enough. Avis were also dumb enough to give me a brand new Hilux with 200km on the clock, wonder how long that'll last.

That place used to be the duck's nut's back in it's heyday. Now a sad reflection on what it used to be.

It's a great showpiece on how not to build a waste dump - the erosion gullies there are some of the biggest I have seen on a man-made pile of dirt.

[Greg Rust]

Spent yesterday at Citic Pacific Cape Preston. That place is massive now that the six lines are in.

[-Luke-]

That place used to be the duck's nut's back in it's heyday. Now a sad reflection on what it used to be.

It's a shame to hear that. It was the site to be at back in 01/02. 2/1 roster. Probably the best HME workshop in the goldfields and the camps was the shit.

The wetmess was amazing compared to shit holes elsewhere in the area, plus it was one of the first Sites I'd been to where ather than closing the wetmess around meal times you could either just bring a drink into the mess or the chef's would bring food platters to the wetmess.

[Alt_F4]

Apparently Rio Tinto is making a significant chunk of jobs (bottom up) no longer available as permanent positions, only contractor roles.

Doesn't effect people in existing roles, only new hires.
Not really sure what to make of the news... good news for the 3 companies supplying RT with labour hire I guess.

[American Dave]

It certainly is good news

[shifted]

Apparently Rio Tinto is making a significant chunk of jobs (bottom up) no longer available as permanent positions, only contractor roles.

Doesn't effect people in existing roles, only new hires.
Not really sure what to make of the news... good news for the 3 companies supplying RT with labour hire I guess.

Heard that from a mate a month or so ago now, contractor immediate costs are more but I suppose when they need to make a cut it's easier for them than paying out redundancies?

[TJ]

Contractors are cheaper in both circumstances.

[munt]

Bad for people coming up to the end of their contract and will lose all benefits if they cant get a permanent position... In my case I'm 1 year off long service leave (which i deserve :D)

[Buckets]

In related news WA is effectively in recession, Rockingham is the bankruptcy capital of Australia and last I read the more sober analysts are saying there's still about 50,000 jobs to go across the resources and affiliated support sectors supported in part by the the uptake of automation now showing signs of wider adoption plus future capacity based job losses.

Rio's move to employ contractors is exceptionally smart business given this outlook and where it needs to be as a business; I expect it to be adopted by more in due course. I know it's a position being looked at by another major mining house.

Short of a rally among the juniors in precious metals the next 5yr's will not be pretty for the sector locally. For some the "bust" will be a mere blip on the radar, for many though the full extent of the bust is yet to come.

[S133LTR]

It certainly is good news

*If your in the labour hire business

[TJ]

*If your in the labour hire business

*If you are a Rio Tinto preferred supplier

[Greg Rust]

We just had our largest July sales since 2012. Crazy.

[Denver]

Fmg went labour hire after the 2/1 deal, it gave them the option to pay fuck all, as the job market went back in favor of the mining companies, they also got shit ops as the good placement agencies refused to deal with them as Fmg had burnt them all previously.

Rio going this way isn't a surprise, pretty glad I'm on the books and past my probation at Bhp as I can see them doing it soon too.

It'll roll like that for a few years until things improve market wise and suddenly the companies need to give people some perks to stay with them instead of going to the next site that pays better, rinse repeat.

[GrahamGTR]

Hi gents can anyone clarify the RIO situation? Is it just new people to the business that will stay labor hire or will it also include labor hire that is currently on site i.e. No chance of a shirt if you currently don't have one? Thanks.

[-Luke-]

Hi gents can anyone clarify the RIO situation? Is it just new people to the business that will stay labor hire

or will it also include labor hire that is currently on site i.e. No chance of a shirt if you currently don't have one? Thanks.
Both.

[S133LTR]

The last cpl of RTIO shirts are being given out in my department atm which was suprising as I expected any positions that hadnt been filled to be cancelled but apparently not.

[GrahamGTR]

Both.

Bugger not much of an incentive to stay with the way they pay.

[1SPRINT]

A jobs a job as there isn't a huge amount of work out there at the moment.

[GrahamGTR]

A jobs a job as there isn't a huge amount of work out there at the moment.

I agree just sucks for those guys that signed up thinking they would get a full time gig out of it some have been waiting over 12 months now and the only way they get info is from the media or Facebook just no very professional.

[S133LTR]

There are contract guys on the site I'm at who have been waiting 2-3 years for a RIO shirt, having said that they have basically had full time roster on decent hourly rates which isnt bad and have been able to book time off etc with out loosing their 'spots'.

It always annoys me when I hear our upper management talk about how bad our 'rumour mill' is when they are so bad at sending info down the chain and quite often our staff find out about information relevant to their jobs through the media.

[Alt_F4]

2017 Apprenticeship applications now open
​As part of our commitment to building a sustainable pipeline of future talent for the business, we have commenced recruitment for Rio Tinto’s 2017 Iron Ore Apprenticeship Programme.

Our programme provides an opportunity to join more than 200 apprentices currently working across our Iron Ore business in gaining on-the-job experience at our world class operations, while working towards a nationally recognised qualification in three key trade areas, including:

· Electrician
· Mobile Equipment Mechanic – Heavy duty
· Mechanical Fitter – Fixed plant

Roles are being offered across both our FIFO and residential sites. Further information, including eligibility requirements, is available at the links below.
Please make sure you apply to the correct advertisement:

FIFO apprenticeship opportunities ( for people living in Perth or other approved FIFO towns).
https://riotinto.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=7027

Residential apprenticeship opportunities
https://riotinto.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=6930

Applications close at midnight on Wednesday 17 August 2016. Late applications will not be accepted.

[Philbo]

Paging Tocchi

[Tocchi]

I've already got a sweet gig, but thanks for the thought :)

[GrahamGTR]

Hi Gents me again anyone have any info on the Edna May gold mine run by evolution mining? Mine life, what's the camp like? Any info appreciated.

[evoeata]

i was there a few years ago when it was still surface. apparently they are yet to cut the portal. going into old workings so will be lots of rehab. camp wasnt too bad, closest town is forrestonia. think from memory there was phone reception and the food was pretty good.

[HotAe92]

i was there a few years ago when it was still surface. apparently they are yet to cut the portal. going into old workings so will be lots of rehab. camp wasnt too bad, closest town is forrestonia. think from memory there was phone reception and the food was pretty good.

And it's not a huge drive <3hrs from Perth if you prefer that means of transport to Skippers planes (IIRC).

[GrahamGTR]

Thanks gents yeah its a 3 hour bus drive but get paid travel👍 Will pass on info thanks again.

[Lump]

anyone else still do fifo to newman, where's your accomodation?
Im back at Kurra camp on monday, it closes soon but then not sure where bhp will put me.

[kamahl31]

They're filling up the apartments over the road from purple, kalgans rest's owners will be celebrating too, I just hope they get a new chef, food was worse than kurra when we were there a couple of months ago

[Lump]

lol, i will probably end up at Kalgans for my 3 nights a fortnight

[Damo 69]

Stay at the purple pub mate

Deluxe food and accommodation


Kalgans rest crib was fucking terrible

Breakfast and dinner was ok

[owen1r]

Any of you fellas up at Argyle?

[evoeata]

Any of you fellas up at Argyle?

stay far far far far far far away. convergence of up to a metre a week in some drives, hot as fuck underground and on the surface, NO PISS, SHIT MONEY, 3 HOUR FLIGHT, management couldnt organanise a root in a fuckin brothel and worst of all, all fuckin sandvik gear! definately one if the worst sites ive ever worked at. stick with gold and youll go somewhere. fuck argyle.

[Greg Rust]

Sounds like a diamond in the rough.

[TJ]

Doesn't sound like the experience many others have had either

[owen1r]

stay far far far far far far away. convergence of up to a metre a week in some drives, hot as fuck underground and on the surface, NO PISS, SHIT MONEY, 3 HOUR FLIGHT, management couldnt organanise a root in a fuckin brothel and worst of all, all fuckin sandvik gear! definately one if the worst sites ive ever worked at. stick with gold and youll go somewhere. fuck argyle.

Too late, already here. Thoroughly enjoying it so far and seems like an upgrade from my previous site, this is the first bad review I've heard.

Can confirm hot as fuck.

[Steppo_GT]

What you doing up there Owen?

[owen1r]

Reliability Engineer for Mobile Maintenance

[Tikki]

Anyone here work at Eastern Goldfields' Davyhurst Gold Mine? Curious to know what the camp/site is like.

[skidkid]

Barrow Island production (WA oil) is a sad sad place these days.. camp is down to 65 people.

[waxdass]

Barrow Island in general is a sad place

[crabman]

I like looking across the water and knowing how sad it is there :P

How much is WA Oil producing these days?

[skidkid]

Just under 5k barrels a day I think.

[azzada1]

Its awfully quiet in general on BWI.. Over here at nogrog construction has slowed right down and the final commissioning is well under way.. mid year it will only really be maintenance and operations.. maybe afew shut teams

[Miggy]

I got my marching orders from Barrow last week but I got over 3 years on the island it self and over 4 years on the project in total. Not bad! But now to find a real job....Dreading it already.

[Chaotic]

Starting field service tomorow, if ya see ma77 on the road give us a wave 😉

First stop paddys flat in meeka, anyone been out there? Sounds a bit rough as guts from what I've heard.

[Passage GT]

Starting field service tomorow, if ya see ma77 on the road give us a wave 😉

First stop paddys flat in meeka, anyone been out there? Sounds a bit rough as guts from what I've heard.
Dude John (Bogrolls) has been doing that gig for years up there, he'll know all the ins and outs if there's anything you need to know

[summoner]

I got my marching orders from Barrow last week but I got over 3 years on the island it self and over 4 years on the project in total. Not bad! But now to find a real job....Dreading it already.

Going to be 1 heck of a PIP/Redundancy payout.

On another note a mate of mine just started out at Nifty, I've never been out there so curious. How is it? Camp decent? any info I should pass on to him?(Like Berryl the 70 year old cleaner gives good gobby)

[Alt_F4]

Redundancy axe is swinging away again in RTIO.

[-Luke-]

Where abouts?

[HotAe92]

Anyone here done any time out at Deflector?

Done time in gold before, and the prospect of a small, new site excites me enough to get back into FIFO on an 8:6.

Market rate of salary hasn't dropped as much as I thought it would have.

[Alt_F4]

Where abouts?
Asset Management is what I know of.
Just spent an hour talking to my boss, he got a bullet :/

[skidkid]

Anyone here done any time out at Deflector?

Done time in gold before, and the prospect of a small, new site excites me enough to get back into FIFO on an 8:6.

Market rate of salary hasn't dropped as much as I thought it would have.

Did you get that 8/6 job?

[devilfish]

Anyone here done any time out at Deflector?

Done time in gold before, and the prospect of a small, new site excites me enough to get back into FIFO on an 8:6.

Market rate of salary hasn't dropped as much as I thought it would have.

Process plant is tiny... think pilot plant size, I've seen bigger skips than the leach tanks they have there... might be a good thing?

[HotAe92]

Process plant is tiny... think pilot plant size, I've seen bigger skips than the leach tanks they have there... might be a good thing?

Nice. If it's new and tiny, that is good news for me (enviro).

From what I've managed to dig up so far, Deflector is a lean and mean high grade operation.

[Lump]

in other news, Iron ore is up over $90 U.S a tonne

[Greg Rust]

Seems like a few in Kwinana are ramping up production.
Nickel west
Tronox
CSBP sodium cyanide (gold reagent)

[skidkid]

Seems like a few in Kwinana are ramping up production.
Nickel West

Details?

[crabman]

I hear there is a huge shut/upgrade going on at the BP refinery too. Getting it up to spec for the next 15-20 years.

[Greg Rust]

Currently working on debottleneck of pumping systems to increase to 90KTonnes.

Yea Mason Rd will be pretty busy with the TAR at BP, starting on the 27th

[RGVFAST]

I think Puma are doing something big on the kwinana strip shortly.

[crabman]

Is that Lithium plant still happening down there too?

[jaba]

I'll be starting on the BP TAR next week, this shutdown will be the first major shutdown to cover the next 4 years of production, previously it was smaller shutdowns every 2 years. Mason Rd is going to be a nightmare.

Lithium plant last time I checked was scheduled to be operational in 2018. Haven't heard much chatter about any construction as of yet though.

[Greg Rust]

MSP engineering have it for some design details, I've heard that a lot of the gear will be turnkey packages from Chinese companies with existing technology.

[S133LTR]

Redundancy axe is swinging away again in RTIO.

Actually starting to see the employment freeze lifting around rail with a few permanent jobs being awarded.

Lot of talk from management that pay rises will be on this year too. Fingers crossed.

[munt]

I hope so!. Weve had multiple people leave rtio to go to bhp and none have been replaced. Currently working solo with no back to back and filling another guys position when he is on leave. Getting absolutely clean bowled by work and doing 13-14 hours every day to try keep on top.

[Miggy]

Going to be 1 heck of a PIP/Redundancy payout.


It was less than I was expecting, instead of being made redundant I was put down as "End of contract" so my payout was taxed at 47.5%. If I knew that was going to be the case I would of structured a few things differently, but you live and learn.

[Alt_F4]

Redundancy axe is swinging away again in RTIO.
Starting up again this week, looks like its at my level this time.
Lets see if I still have a job by the end of the week.

[-Luke-]

Yup a few guys I know have been told to cancel all travel plans this week. Not a good sign.

[ML24WA]

I heard some of the operations guys (planning etc) at some of the sites were given the axe last week.

[Lump]

anyone know what $ a mech eng makes on a bhp salary? (FIFO 5/2 4/3 - Iron Ore)

[j3rk]

Depends on years out.
~$70 start.
~$110 base after 5 or so years.
(~$160ish after uplifts)
More after that depending how good they are.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TJ]

Anyone here contracted to Rio via programmed/skilled?

[owen1r]

Anyone here contracted to Rio via programmed/skilled?

I was until 2 weeks ago, now Rio employee.

[TJ]

I was until 2 weeks ago, now Rio employee.

Very good timing for you!

[owen1r]

I know we have quite a few people on site and a couple of new workers arriving through programmed shortly, I assume existing contracts won't be altered.

[Lump]

Depends on years out.


~$110 base after 5 or so years.
(~$160ish after uplifts)
More after that depending how good they are.


hmm, was hoping for more than that, unless thats net, not gross lol

[j3rk]

Obviously its how good you are/years out/ background.
Eg. 10 years out should crack the 200s.
But home every weekend rosters never paying the huge $$$.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lump]

Yeah I like my weekends at home. Cheers

[TJ]

I know we have quite a few people on site and a couple of new workers arriving through programmed shortly, I assume existing contracts won't be altered.

Anyone who was selected up until the 2nd week of June will continue to come through, but as of 24th July all will be workpac people.

Tell them to check their contracts closely.

[Alt_F4]

Yeah I like my weekends at home. Cheers
Might have something coming up based out at the OC: drafting, standards updates, site visits etc.
Pay should be decent (would likely go through workpac).

If you're keen send me though an up to date your resume and I'll pass it on :)

[TJ]

Might have something coming up based out at the OC: drafting, standards updates, site visits etc.
Pay should be decent (would likely go through workpac).

If you're keen send me though an up to date your resume and I'll pass it on :)

Yeah it will - only option now for hire that isn't direct perm.

[HotAe92]

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/two-wa-mining-projects-rejected-over-environmental-impact-20170628-gx07fp.html

Huge test for the WA Government coming up.

[Damo 69]

hmm, was hoping for more than that, unless thats net, not gross lol

http://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/iron-ore-price

[Buckets]

http://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/iron-ore-price

A perfect tonic for when the entitlement and reality disconnect is fucking strong.

[owen1r]

Didn't realise it was tanking so hard recently.

What does the price need to be for it to be economical? (Roughly)

[Damo 69]

Didn't realise it was tanking so hard recently.

What does the price need to be for it to be economical? (Roughly)

They are all producing around $10-15 per T (last time I checked, it is largely irrelevant to my current line of work) down from say $50 a t during the boom.

However the profit per T is still thinner as its not being sold for $150 p/t

[Buckets]

Didn't realise it was tanking so hard recently.

What does the price need to be for it to be economical? (Roughly)

Firstly the cost of production and the point at which the miner makes profit are different, so keep that in mind and don't just focus on cost per tonne to produce. Each miners cost per tonne profile is different however Tier 2 mining houses such as Roy Hill / FMG need a higher price than the established larger scale players such as BHP, Rio. Anything below $40p/t starts to hurt FMG & RH. BHP & Rio can most likely still see NPAT (Net Profit After Tax) margin in the 20's but that would be dire straights for the wider economy as royalty payments, trade account deficits, national GDP and most importantly the ability for these mining houses to service their capital expansion plans (especially if they are debt facility funded) ect ect ect would all take a huge fucking hit off the back of that. Now offsetting this is the fact that there's usually some premium (not much these days) above spot pricing paid for lump ore as well as boutique blends which most of our miners supply their contracted mills. The falling AUD also helps lower Australian mines operating input costs somewhat but their cost profiles are still far from internationally competitive.

The biggest thing everyone forgets about in Australia is China's own internal Iron Ore producing mines (mainly a lower grade magnetite) and it's immense investments in our biggest competitor in the sea borne iron ore market Vale (Brasil). The "Valemax" super carrier is going to not just help add more (exceptionally high grade) supply to an already over saturated market but it's also going to dramatically reduce the shipping cost of the product on a per tonne basis in to port in China / Korea / Japan ect ect.

This is why I get the shits on when dumb pingpingpingpings who have no fucking idea how little their services are actually worth in a global market get the begging bowl out asking for more cash, more perks, more ice cream vans onsite as well as endless kiss and cuddle sessions while downing tools every 30 minutes to circle jerk over a JHA and whinge about how hard their even time FIFO roster is.

Australia is squandering it's competitive advantages in the market place and as we move away from the days of being able to rely on the head grades and immense reserves of the best dirt on the market slip away we are leaving the next generation exposed to irrelevance in the market.

[owen1r]

Thanks for the detailed reply, you obviously have some strong opinions on the topic and I don't follow resource prices nearly as much as I should.

Now most of the Rio guys actually have some things to whinge about, the move to 2/1 rosters and dry sites. Our turnover is very high at the moment.

[Buckets]

Now most of the Rio guys actually have some things to whinge about, the move to 2/1 rosters and dry sites. Our turnover is very high at the moment.

My guys work 8 weeks on and have 4 weeks off (sometimes) earning in some cases just $6 USD per day. After working a 12hr day in conditions that would make Kleenex Tissues the most used stores stock item onsite if they were on an Aussie mine these lads get dropped off their village to fend for themselves. No nice cleaned donga with aircon and Foxtel, no flights, no meals, no fuck all.

These people operate the same machines, dig the same kind of dirt to sell to the same customers you guys do with an oddly enough very close incident frequency rates to whats seen in the WA sector now with a whole heap less cost and less drama...

Trust me there's nothing to whinge about in WA except for the people who think there is.

[owen1r]

Yes, I've heard plenty of stories from a few south african blokes on site.

Unfortunately the perception will never change until they work in those conditions for themselves, it's human nature to want more.

Surprised to hear the AFR is comparable, things must of improved in your part of the world. Wouldn't be surprised if it was better than ours, it's significantly higher than the company average.

[Damo 69]

Is a big misconception about AFR and third world labour, if it is managed correctly.

Our project in Vanuatu did 260,000 man hours or so MTI/LTI free, it was only when an expat put his finger where it didn’t belong (instead of using a podgie) did we have our first MTI. Most of the blokes were working in bars or sitting under a tree before being employed and then trained by us.

Batam module fabrication yards ring a bell also, was a visitor through the McDermott site a few years ago, did not look bad at all.

[Damo 69]

Quality I wont start on, but you can afford to re-do something alot of times to make up for it, unless it is programme critical

[Buckets]

We had a site in Tanzania that did 9 years LTI free with a 200+ strong workforce spread between exploration, open pit, under ground + maintenance and other support departments.

These guys may not be "smart" but they know the consequences of fucking up so tend to make a good effort to not do so.

[Bram]

That or the incident reporting wasnt quite as thorough.

[Damo 69]

I can only speak for myself, but I don’t think brushing under the carpet is as prevalent as it once was.

Im sure no doubt it happens and no doubt most commonly in third world countries as what the fuck are they going to do about it, but as initially stated if managed correctly are near on as safe as a western workforce.

Just another horn to blow from people who don’t know

[TJ]

Damo - production costs for the "big 3" in WA are around 15-19 dollars a tonne.

As Jon said, profit number will be different for all ie FMG talk about their reduction in costs, but don't mention the interest they now pay on the 11B in loans they have.

The market is mixed atm - I have people over the moon to get a job, while others drop "I wouldn't get out of bed for $40ph" - well 120k is better than 0k but all good, ring me when the accounts are dry.

Iron ore is back above 60 this morning too.

[ML24WA]

We had a site in Tanzania that did 9 years LTI free with a 200+ strong workforce spread between exploration, open pit, under ground + maintenance and other support departments.

These guys may not be "smart" but they know the consequences of fucking up so tend to make a good effort to not do so.

What site/sites have you been at in Africa? Also what is your role if you don't mind me asking?

[Damo 69]

What site/sites have you been at in Africa? Also what is your role if you don't mind me asking?

he is the lead shilling dispenser at niggsriggs which is a drill rigg company

[Buckets]

Shillings Booooiiiii!

[Alt_F4]

Fuck.

Serious incident resulting in death at Yandi :(

[TJ]

Fuck.

Serious incident resulting in death at Yandi :(

Horrible thing from accounts :(

[TJ]

If someone knows someone who is a physio with experience in mine safety.. pm me

Essential Requirements:

•Tertiary qualification in Physiotherapy
•Post graduate OHS or Occupational Health Physiotherapy qualification
•Knowledge of mining risks associated with health and ergonomics
•Experience in injury management and workers compensation, with exposure to remote site operations
•Knowledge of Health Promotion strategies and understanding of effective employee health program design and evaluation techniques
•Participation in health teams that have successfully reduced workplace exposures and improved employee health through Fitness for Work programs
•Demonstrated understanding and application of workers’ compensation legislation and claims management
•Intermediate level in Microsoft Office applications
•Current WA ‘C’ Class Driver’s License
•Previous experience in Occupational Health Information Systems (e.g. Injury Connect, INX, SAP, etc.)
•The ability to effectively communicate and influence at all levels of the organisation
•Planning and organising skills to schedule and monitor activities

[Frenchy]

Horrible thing from accounts :(
True that! The story behind this incident is pretty fucked up

[skidkid]

True that! The story behind this incident is pretty fucked up

Welll go on?

[evoeata]

i heard he was chargeup or blast crew or whatever, took the ute out the bush and blew himself up. apparently they found the roof of the cruiser fuckin miles away from where the rest of the ute was. dunno how true that is.

[TJ]

Number of versions of the event but yes did involve suicide using explosives.