PM spruiks mining pay rise as wage battle emerges

Moscow [Russia], October 28: A pay rise for thousands of miners is in the sights of the prime minister, as unions urge heavyweights in the sector not to advocate the rolling back of workplace reforms.
Anthony Albanese will spruik upcoming wage increases for the sector on Monday night at an address to the Mining and Energy Union's national convention in Brisbane.
Federal Labor's industrial relations reforms have paved the way for labour hire workers to receive the same pay as regular employees across a variety of sectors including aviation, meat processing and mining.
About 4000 hire workers across NSW and Queensland will receive $120 million in pay rises after the union stood up for Labor's proposed reforms by highlighting how loopholes allowed companies to undercut enterprise agreements.
"The Liberals said it was a made-up issue, then they said it would wreck the economy," Mr Albanese will say in the address.
"Australians were not fooled. Only the labour movement could have championed this change."
Resources sector employers have urged businesses to campaign to pressure a future coalition government to deliver a radical industrial relations overhaul, including the abolition of awards.
Mr Albanese says the pay increases will have a major impact on the economies of regional communities and show the government is both pro-business and pro-worker, while claiming the Liberal and National parties are the "biggest threat to fair pay and safe work".
It comes as ACTU secretary Sally McManus said peak bodies within the mining sector had urged for the coalition to roll back the labour hire laws.
"Many big businesses will always be looking for ways to cut wages, they will always be looking for loopholes and legal schemes to increase their profits," she said.
"This week, thousands of workers will see pay rises flow through, many of them very significant because the Albanese government withstood the campaign by big business last year to stop workers getting better rights."
Wages have emerged as one of Labor's biggest talking points and remain one of the party's key answers to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis ahead of the federal election.
The prime minister warned the coalition would strip back the industrial relations reform.
"I'm proud we've worked together to deliver this change, now we have to stand together and defend it," he will tell the union conference.
"(Opposition Leader Peter Dutton) wants to rip up every new right workers have negotiated, he wants to wreck every bit of progress we have made."
Mr Albanese is keen to return to a platform of wages as Labor comes off a narrow loss at the Queensland election.
Mining remains a significant driver of the Queensland economy and though Mr Albanese's speech acknowledges the need for a clean energy transition, he insists no one will be left behind.
"This is how you make change work for people . by taking on your responsibility to look after people and build better," he said.
A federal election must be held by May 2025.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation