Mining & Energy Union

Mining & Energy Union We stand up for workers in coal mining, power stations, coal ports and metalliferous mining.

Media reports have revealed that senior NSW Liberal MP Alister Henskens is acting as lead barrister for Clydesdale Engin...
08/09/2026

Media reports have revealed that senior NSW Liberal MP Alister Henskens is acting as lead barrister for Clydesdale Engineering a company linked to Sanjeev Gupta’s corporate empire.

Clydesdale is fighting to protect its claim to millions from the liquidation of Tahmoor Coal. It claims to be a secured creditor, which could put it near the front of the queue to receive money from the mine’s sale.

The liquidators are challenging parts of the financial arrangements behind that claim as an alleged uncommercial transaction. Put simply, they allege the arrangements could allow a GFG Alliance-linked company to claim more of the money left in Tahmoor.

So Henskens: a *current, serving MP* who receives a taxpayer-funded salary is doing private legal work helping a GFG Alliance-linked company defend its position.

Oh, and somewhat unbelievably, he is also the NSW Shadow Minister for “Government Accountability”.

Tahmoor workers spent more than a year paying the price for the company’s collapse. More than 230 permanent jobs were lost, while a further 60 MEU members went without wages for months in the hope their jobs could be saved.

Tahmoor collapsed owing approximately $432 million—including up to **$30 million in unpaid royalties owed to the NSW Government**.

Meanwhile, $427 million was reportedly taken out of Tahmoor to support other parts of the GFG Alliance corporate group.

So let’s get this straight:

Workers lost their livelihoods.
The people of NSW are still owed up to $30 million.
A GFG Alliance-linked company is fighting for millions from the liquidation.
And a senior Liberal MP has chosen to help it do so....presumably not for free!

Henskens should disclose exactly how much he has earned from GFG Alliance-linked companies.

WTF!?

LISTEN UP YANCOAL! MEU members at Premier Coal in Collie WA have sent a strong message to Yancoal that they won't be dud...
08/09/2026

LISTEN UP YANCOAL!

MEU members at Premier Coal in Collie WA have sent a strong message to Yancoal that they won't be dudded on pay and redundancy provisions in their last Enterprise Agreement ahead of the mine's closure.

Over 90% of members have voted yes to take protected industrial action.

District Secretary Greg Busson said that with the mine ultimately facing closure, workers need certainty about what they will earn during its remaining life and the redundancy entitlements they will receive when their jobs end.

"They will not accept a deal that offers no protections for redundancy and no pay increase. We hope the company listens to this strong message and returns to the table ready to provide the security its workforce deserves."

Show your support for our Premier Coal members in the comments 💪

DEADLY WORKAROUND AT A US COAL MINEA final investigation into the death of 32-year-old US coal miner Jessie Smith shows ...
07/09/2026

DEADLY WORKAROUND AT A US COAL MINE

A final investigation into the death of 32-year-old US coal miner Jessie Smith shows what can happen when a dangerous workaround becomes accepted practice.

Jessie had more than six years’ mining experience. Away from work, he enjoyed golfing, fishing, duck hunting, working out and taking his children, Mikayla and Hudsen, to the park.

Jessie was tramming (or repositioning) a remote-controlled continuous miner when he was pinned between the machine and the coal rib.

The machine was fitted with a proximity detection system designed to stop it when a worker came too close. Each operator carried a small electronic device that allowed the system to detect their location.

Investigators found the system was working properly, but Jessie’s device had been placed inside the continuous miner’s conveyor tail. The surrounding metal blocked its signal, allowing the machine to operate while he was inside the shutdown zone.

This was not an isolated act. Other operators used the same workaround and one described it as common practice.

A supervisor had seen Jessie do it one week before his death and had seen another operator do the same thing about two months earlier. Jessie was verbally counselled, but the company had no written policy addressing the practice and failed to stop it.

Investigators also found Jessie was inside a designated red zone while the machine was being repositioned.

They concluded that mine operator Patton Mining failed to ensure workers stayed outside the red zone and used the proximity devices correctly.

It is a tragic example of what can happen when a dangerous workaround becomes part of the way work is done and management fails to act effectively despite knowing about it.

We extend our deepest sympathy and solidarity to Jessie’s children, partner, parents, friends and workmates.

Jessie should have come home.

THE MINING HISTORY BEHIND FATHER’S DAY One of the earliest known Father’s Day commemorations began with a coal mining tr...
06/09/2026

THE MINING HISTORY BEHIND FATHER’S DAY

One of the earliest known Father’s Day commemorations began with a coal mining tragedy.

On 6 December 1907, explosions tore through two coal mines at Monongah in West Virginia, killing at least 362 mineworkers in what remains the deadliest mining disaster in United States history.

Many of those killed were fathers, leaving hundreds of families and around 1,000 children without them.

The following year, local woman Grace Golden Clayton proposed a special church service to honour the fathers lost in the disaster. It was held on 5 July 1908 and is recognised as one of the earliest known Father’s Day observances.

The broader movement to establish Father’s Day began separately in 1909, when Sonora Smart Dodd campaigned for a day honouring fathers after being raised by her widowed father. The first major celebration was held in Washington state in 1910.

Australia began widely observing Father’s Day on the first Sunday in September during the 1930s.

This Father’s Day, we celebrate the dads and father figures in our mining and energy communities and remember those dads who are no longer with us ❤️

Happy Father’s Day from the MEU.

MINING RUNS IN THE FAMILY ❤️This Father’s Day, we’re celebrating the dads who work across Australia’s mining and energy ...
05/09/2026

MINING RUNS IN THE FAMILY ❤️

This Father’s Day, we’re celebrating the dads who work across Australia’s mining and energy industries.

For many families, working in the industry spans generations — with children following their parents and grandparents into mining, and sometimes even ending up working alongside them.

Queensland District Vice President Logan Muller grew up in Moura, where her dad and pop both worked at Dawson Mine and were active union members.

In 2018, Logan continued that family tradition, becoming an operator at Dawson and working alongside her dad.

These photos show Logan and her dad, then and now.

Did you follow your dad into the industry? Have your children followed you?

Share your story and photos in the comments so we can celebrate generations of mining and energy families this Father’s Day!

05/09/2026

⚠️ SAFETY ALERT: CONVEYOR BELT ROLLS DOWNHILL UNDERGROUND

A serious incident at a NSW underground coal mine has highlighted the danger of unsecured loads and uncontrolled movement.

A loader was transporting a roll of solid woven conveyor belt when the belt contacted the roadway and was dislodged from the forks.

The belt rolled downhill, broke through a segregation stopping and finally came to rest against a jersey barrier.

Unplanned movement can kill. Loads must be properly secured using appropriately rated slings, cradles or purpose-built equipment.

Mine operators must ensure workers have the right equipment, training and procedures to transport heavy and awkward loads safely.

🔥 SAFETY ALERT: CONVEYOR PULLEY FIRE UNDERGROUNDA worker at a NSW underground coal mine noticed smoke coming from a belt...
04/09/2026

🔥 SAFETY ALERT: CONVEYOR PULLEY FIRE UNDERGROUND

A worker at a NSW underground coal mine noticed smoke coming from a belt road and found a tail pulley sparking.

After the belt was stopped, water was sprayed on the fire and flames shot up to the mine roof. The worker retrieved a fire extinguisher, put out the flames and then cooled the pulley bearing with water.

Failed conveyor bearings are a serious fire and explosion risk in underground coal mines.

Mine operators must have effective systems for inspecting conveyors, identifying defective bearings and ensuring faults are repaired before they cause a fire.

Particular attention must be given to high-tension areas and locations with limited access or visibility.

03/09/2026

Great news this week with that the lifespan of Boggabri has been extended to 2040. Boggabri supports hundreds of jobs directly and indirectly and annually returns tens of millions of dollars to the Gunnedah Basin community.

Its good to see the NSW government clarify and stand behind their support for coal mine extensions.

Shout out to Tony and Chris, representing MEU members on the ground at Gladstone Power Station. Tony Padget has worked a...
03/09/2026

Shout out to Tony and Chris, representing MEU members on the ground at Gladstone Power Station.

Tony Padget has worked at the power station for over 40 years, for as long as it's been operating. He's been a proud union member for his whole working career and a workplace delegate for decades.

Chris Butler is a relative newbie with just over a decade at the power station. Chris has recently stepped up into the delegate's role, learning the ropes from Tony.

Gladstone power station is an important part of the local economy employing hundreds of workers, supplying energy to local Gladstone industry including the Boyne smelter and to households through the National Energy Market.

With operator NRG flagging the power station's closure in March 2029, Tony and Chris are working hard to make sure workers are looked after and get all the support and certainty they deserve.

Thanks for everything you do for MEU members Tony and Chris 👏🙏💪

More than 900 power industry workers are feared trapped underground after catastrophic flooding devastated hydropower pr...
02/09/2026

More than 900 power industry workers are feared trapped underground after catastrophic flooding devastated hydropower projects in Nepal and Tibet.

Rescue crews are working around the clock in extraordinarily difficult conditions to reach workers who may have survived inside underground power stations.

Australian geologist and engineer Arnold Dix, who helped lead the remarkable rescue of 41 trapped tunnel workers in India in 2023, is assisting Nepalese authorities with the operation.

Despite the scale of the devastation, there remains hope that workers may have survived in air pockets in the upper sections of underground facilities.

Our thoughts are with the trapped workers, their families and communities, and the rescue crews doing everything they can to reach them.

We stand in solidarity with workers and their families facing this terrible uncertainty.
Read the full story in the link below.

Address

215-217 Clarence Street
The Rocks, NSW
2000

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Mining & Energy Union posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Mining & Energy Union:

Shortcuts

Share

Category