Thread: Payday...$300 for 7hrs work

I am glad that the mostly foreign owners of mines in Australia have to pay their workers as much as they do.
This is the only way they pay any sort of Tax back into the economy.
All the talk about the two speed economy these days make me sick, the mining boom has brought a lot of trouble to this nation, it is distorting wages all over the place.
When things deflate and they will, there is going to be a lot of heart ache in this country for a long time.
Mr Forrest and his company have not paid any tax for the last 10 years and he is a billionaire! and one of the few Aussie mine owners.
When the bubble pops a teacher on $300 a day will be quiet happy and have a good steady income and some security of employment.
I think things went wrong when Mr Howard stuffed about with awards.
Negotiating on an individual basis inflated pay rates in high demand areas and allowed many workers to choose whether they even wanted to go to work.
Most workers are now in a place (high debt) that the corpratocricy wants them, in debt right up to their eye balls and waiting for a recession.

Originally Posted by rovercare

Move

Yep. I lived in rural Vic, but drove over 400km to go to Adelaide for my fifo job. There is always an easy solution but some people just don't want it.

Originally Posted by RR P38

Mr Forrest and his company have not paid any tax for the last 10 years and he is a billionaire! and one of the few Aussie mine owners.

This idea about the ownership of mines an oft repeated falsehood. For a start,BHP is probably the largest owner of Australian mines - and is still, as far as I know, over fifty percent owned by Australian resident shareholders, and has one of the largest number of individual shareholders of any Australian company, as well as the millions more who are indirect shareholders through their superannuation funds. And the same could be said about many other listed companies.

I don't know if the statement about Mr Forrest's tax payments is correct (I thought tax return details were confidential?), but the statement that he is one of few Australian mine owners is patently wrong.

John

Originally Posted by BigJon

Yep. I lived in rural Vic, but drove over 400km to go to Adelaide for my fifo job. There is always an easy solution but some people just don't want it.

Good on you Big Jon!

YOU ARE A GO GETTER! At least that's what the phrase used to be! This country needs more go getters.

I have family members who sit on their arses on the dole in rural Victoria where there is minimal work and even less chance of new openings. When questioned about it they say: they can't afford the extra $100 a week for rent in the city.
I then say: wouldn't a job fill that financial shortfall?
They then say: but my kid(s) are in a great school and are doing ok for the first time.
I then say: but what happens when their schooling is finished where is the opportunity for them to succeed?
They then get nasty/angry and say: I don't understand.
I then say: well, no I dont understand.

They then go back to doing nothing and winging about not getting anywhere... sort sounds familiar with all of this thread.

LIKE BIG JON'S EXAMPLE, TO GET SOMETHING IN LIFE YOU HAVE TO GO AND GET IT. THE UNIVERSE WILL NOT BRING IT TO YOU!!!

My Grandpa used to say "wish in one hand and spit in the other and see which one gets full first" does it get any clearer than that?

Dave

Originally Posted by DT-P38

Good on you Big Jon!

YOU ARE A GO GETTER! At least that's what the phrase used to be! This country needs more go getters.

I have family members who sit on their arses on the dole in rural Victoria where there is minimal work and even less chance of new openings. When questioned about it they say: they can't afford the extra $100 a week for rent in the city.
I then say: wouldn't a job fill that financial shortfall?
They then say: but my kid(s) are in a great school and are doing ok for the first time.
I then say: but what happens when their schooling is finished where is the opportunity for them to succeed?
They then get nasty/angry and say: I don't understand.
I then say: well, no I dont understand.

They then go back to doing nothing and winging about not getting anywhere... sort sounds familiar with all of this thread.

LIKE BIG JON'S EXAMPLE, TO GET SOMETHING IN LIFE YOU HAVE TO GO AND GET IT. THE UNIVERSE WILL NOT BRING IT TO YOU!!!

My Grandpa used to say "wish in one hand and spit in the other and see which one gets full first" does it get any clearer than that?

Dave

I agree 100% with this. I grew up in rural Vic, but was happy to move away to further my career. We have now moved to substantially different areas 3 times now to follow bigger and better jobs, and I'm sure I will again at some stage. This doesn't mean you can't go back to the town you grew up in to visit friends or see the rellies.

I have a bachelors degree in Business, another in Law, a graduate diploma in Teaching and Learning. The wage as a teacher is tiny compared to what I could be earning if I had continued with my law path. However, I actually enjoy the work, the hours are good, the holiday are good. Friends that I graduated with out earn me, but they work far far harder for it and deserve to have their higher wages. I on the other hand have a social life and also have other part time work which I too enjoy.

As for the wage rate for relief teachers. It's a cruisey gig, as it's just babysitting a class for a few hours, unlike a full time teacher that has to prepare the work and lessons, mark, and many other things that happen behind the scenes, but there's many negatives to it too. i.e. they have no pay during the school holidays, and there are many of these, no sick or leave benefits, etc. and little chance of career progression. For some this suits, for many it doesn't unless they have other employment with it.

And lets just clarify a few things here shall we...

Mine Truck drivers get what they do because of:
- Potential Geographic location
- Shift work - This is where the real money comes from with night shifts and penalties
- Hours worked

South Oz miners dont pull much more than $90k unless they pull a lot of O/T.

Conversely - Pilbara miners for instance, get high incomes, but ever looked at the price of rental in the area? Cost of food, fuel etc? It tends to balance out.

Me, I dont "mine" but do work at one, as one of the Grade controllers AND the snake handler

The stresses of my job are decisions worth millions every day - not a few million, LOTS of millions - we're talking company killing decisions...

Then there are venomous reptiles - how much would YOU like to be paid to go grab 6 foot of angry, pee-ed off snake? I just went and removed 2 today that were upsetting the work crew nearby.

I packed up my family and moved 6 years ago to a better lifestyle and actually less pay (when I first moved here) and was happy..

Now both myself and my lovely wife work in MX (Mines and Export) and make a great living... Our 17 yr old son is happy, has a better, balanced life here and we all enjoy the fruits of our labours...

Would I go on call? Well I am, constantly, and paid a retaining rate to be as such... And when called, my rate increases accordingly... And so it should - My private time is more valuable to me than my pay rate.

You want people, you pay... Simple....

People want more money.. Heres a few ways how..
- Work more hours
- Work for better employer
- Change jobs / job field
- Move
- Study more - Get educated in a field that pays more


But on the original topic - maybe the stars and moon aligned and all those people where actually busy/ on the loo/ outside, etc when you rang...
It does happen...

Tombie, How does an unskilled worker get a mine job. I keep hearing stories in the media about mines having trouble getting workers. I have my business for sale and as I am now becoming an empty nester when business is sold would like to travel and possibly get a mine job. I have searched the net and all I can some up with is no jobs available.

When I say I am unskilled I am a Motor mechanic but got out of it 11 years ago, and I reckon the technology has now surpassed me. Also mines would want Diesel/truck mechanics not car ones. I also have experience driving semi's interstate. There is not a lot I can't do, just don't have the necessary tickets.

Dave.