Premier Coal mine in Australia to end night shifts — ABC News Australia
Premier Coal, a coal mine in the town of Collie, Western Australia, is expected to switch to daytime-only operations and end night shifts in the coming months. As ABC News reports, the Western Australian authorities confirmed the company’s decision to reduce operating hours and said they had requested urgent clarification from the company about the implications for staff.
Premier Coal is located in Collie, about 200 kilometres south of Perth. According to ABC News, management also informed workers of a planned three-week shutdown of the mine in summer. The company did not respond to journalists’ requests for comment on the decision.
Unions expect job cuts
Unions believe that the switch to day shifts will result in cuts of approximately 40% of the workforce, or about 150 jobs. Workers have already been given forms to apply for voluntary redundancy.
Steve McCartney, secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union, said the issue concerns more than just workforce numbers. According to him, payments to workers leaving their jobs will be calculated at day-shift rates, without the additional payment for night work. In April, Premier Coal had already reported the loss of between 70 and 100 jobs at the Collie mine.
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Authorities do not expect power disruptions
The decision comes amid negotiations between mine owner Yancoal and workers over a final collective agreement ahead of the planned closure of coal-fired generation in the state by 2030. More than 90% of the mine’s workers are union members; since July, they have gone on strike several times, including by refusing to load coal into rail wagons.
Energy analyst Tim Buckley of Climate Energy Finance said ending night operations would not cause rolling blackouts. Over the past 12 months, coal accounted for 24% of electricity generation in Western Australia, while renewable sources provided around 40%. The state government also said it was confident that Premier Coal’s decision would have no impact on electricity supply.
Following the government’s 2022 announcement of a phase-out of coal-fired generation, Western Australian authorities have been directing funds towards the transformation of Collie. In particular, the region’s industrial transition fund totals 230 million Australian dollars, and a further 58 million Australian dollars was announced last month for rehabilitation, road infrastructure and worker transition programmes.
