Glencore North Queensland has confirmed they will changing their Mount Isa copper roster early in the new year.
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The company flagged the move in October and is now going ahead despite criticism from Robbie Katter who says it will have a detrimental effect on Mount Isa.
In a statement on Saturday Glencore said that "following extensive consultation with our workforce" Mount Isa Mines will be changing the primary rosters at the Mount Isa Copper Operations "to align across our business and also improve work/life balance for our MICO employees".
From late-February, workers on the primary roster at our MICO operations will move to a 7 days on/7 days off roster in line with George Fisher Mine, which Glencore said had been successfully operating on the schedule for several years.
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"The change will improve work/life balance for our MICO employees in a number of ways, including having every second weekend off. It also allows us to more easily transfer workers between the two sites to improve productivity," a spokesperson said.
"We have been addressing any questions or concerns raised by affected workers, and will continue to monitor and seek feedback as we implement the roster changes."
We are committed to maintaining a local workforce and the move is not about transferring to a fly in/fly out roster.
Our key focus will remain on the safety and wellbeing of our workforce, as we implement and embed the change.
Mr Katter had feared it would lead to more people working from the coast.
"Mine employees will now be tempted by the FIFO and DIDO options that are more easily afforded to them by their new work structure," he said at the time.
However Glencore Queensland Metals boss Matt O'Neill told the North West Star the data did not support that fear.
"We're changing one even time roster - four on four off - and we'd like to discuss with the workforce the change can we go to seven on, seven off," he said.
"We did that at George Fisher a few years back and we didn't see the move to FIFO or DIDO that people were worried about."
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
