The fly-in, fly-out movement is already well underway, with another 30 people arriving back in the Illawarra by plane from mining jobs in Queensland, home in time to see their kids for Father’s Day.
The workers, flown on a Dash 8 plane brought into the Illawarra for the purpose, followed another similar-size group who arrived on Thursday.
More than 120 employees from four businesses have already taken part in the maintenance and capital works and the consortium estimates it needs 200 - perhaps as many as 400 - workers by the end of the year.
The businesses are all contracting companies hit hard by BlueScope’s decision to cut contract work in July, before announcing it would halve steel production and cut a third of its workforce last month.
The consortium, called Securing the Future, is offering workers flights between the Illawarra and Emerald, in Queensland’s coal-rich Bowen Basin, where BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Peabody, Anglo American and other miners have operations.
Mainteck’s Rory McNeill, who has been meeting miners in Queensland all week, said he was concerned that the BlueScope cuts would result in an exodus from the region that is ‘‘both destructive and unnecessary’’.
‘‘Our consortium believes it can offer people considering relocating more stability, the same potential to earn, exactly the same lifestyle in terms of work-life balance with no need to relocate,’’ he said.
‘‘Other advantages are that housing is more affordable and of a higher standard here and services are more developed and are not capacity constrained in the Illawarra.’’
Harry Mitchell of Australian Aerial Patrol has contracted the Dash 8 and is organising flights. He said the demand for the three-hour trip between Albion Park and Emerald had outstripped delivery.
‘‘These locals who are multi-skilled people in their own right - don’t despair,’’ he said.
‘‘There is work for you. You don’t have to uproot your families. Keep your kids in school.
‘‘We’ll fly you in and out of the Illawarra, all expenses paid. We’ll find you mining work.
‘‘These guys who flew in today will get to watch their kids play soccer and football on the weekend.
‘‘If this whole concept has legs, we look as though we’ll be transporting out of Wollongong and back ... between 70 and 100 people every few days.’’
The consortium includes Mainteck, AllFab Constructions, K&R Fabrications and KJ Industrial Scaffolding. It is advertising for boilermakers, fitters, engineers, riggers, scaffolders and other trades, and Mr McNeill encouraged BlueScope workers to apply.
Email a friend