Australian Manufacturing Workers Union secures $5000 bonus for Collie coal workers

Collie coal workers have secured a lifeline, with contractors accepting a $5000 “unit closure bonus” when the Muja power station shuts at the end of the decade. The landmark transition deal signed this week also includes paid transition training, a guaranteed 1.5 per cent increase above inflation every year until 2029 and an extra three months full pay — unless an alternative job is secured sooner. The deal will apply to about 150 contract workers. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union said workers would also be guaranteed good wages at future renewable energy projects, with pay rates pegged to the best union deal in the area. “The Collie community demanded that no one should be left behind through transition. Today, AMWU members took another step to making sure that demand is met,” AMWU State Secretary Steve McCartney said. Collie has become the focus of a bitter political fight over Australia’s future energy supply, with the WA Liberals vowing to shelve the Cook Government’s plans to shut down coal by 2030 while Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton wants to build one of seven nuclear reactors there. Energy Minister Reece Whitby called the transition deal a “significant” achievement, to provide Collie’s workers certainty and to secure a workforce for Collie’s big battery. “Collie has powered Western Australia for decades,” he said. “For many in the community, the decision to retire the town’s coal-fired power stations is an unfortunate but necessary step to keep WA’s energy system reliable and affordable, support the uptake of rooftop solar and reduce our emissions. “The workers of Collie deserve certainty about their future. This memorandum of understanding provides it, in contrast to the Liberals, who want to bring uncertainty and anxiety to Collie and its people.”