Glencore have dished up another sub-standard offer to their workforce and rejected a one-off concession offer from its employees, opting instead to hold firm on a pay deal that the ETU says is another real wage cut for workers.
These workers have not had a wage increase for 18 months, and since the beginning of their last agreement that expired in 2025, CPI figures have outpaced their annual wage increases by approximately 18%.
At yesterday's meeting, the workforce made a one-time concession: 4% annually over three years, with existing bonuses rolled into base rates, in exchange for the unions withdrawing industrial action to allow the vote to proceed uninterrupted. Glencore rejected the counter and threatened that if their sub-standard offer wasn't accepted then large financial elements of the package would be withdrawn.
State Organiser Liam Sharkey say's "The total disregard this multi-national giant is showing their workforce is nothing short of appalling. Even while the company is receiving hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, they cannot find enough money to offer their employees a wage increase that keeps up with current CPI figures, let alone close the gap of how far they have allowed them to fall behind."
This comes after Glencore were crying poor while presenting the latest offer saying they have no money left in the bucket to offer workers. This is a multinational corporation that reportedly paid out billions of dollars to shareholders in 2025.
What is even more astonishing is they have allegedly found enough to pay the management staff a 15% annual bonus on top of their salary's. Yet they can only scratch up a 12% wage rise over 4 years for the blue-collar workers on the ground keeping the place running.
It was stated during the meeting that Glencore were looking at ways to recoup costs they could legally pursue, an example repeatedly used was the ability to recoup visa costs from workers whose employment doesn't work out. This backs up earlier reports that Glencore are looking to bring in an overseas workforce to fill the gaps.
"This company will shovel every penny out of Australia and send it offshore if allowed. We want to see good local jobs with wages that keep up with the cost of living. Where is Minister Tim Ayres & Dale Last now? It is time to step in and put Australians first" says Sharkey.
The ETU is calling on Minister for Industry and Innovation Tim Ayres and Queensland Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last, to intervene and back local jobs for regional Australia.
