Miners, unions clash on training claims

Western Australia's Chamber of Minerals and Energy has strongly denied claims from the construction union that the resources sector was not doing enough to train young Australian workers.

The WA branch of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) today launched what it described as a "massive" advertising campaign across the state to highlight the fact resource projects pay nothing into the state government's centralised training fund.

All WA builders - from home renovators to commercial building companies - pay a 0.2 per cent levy on construction projects over $20,000 to the state government's Construction Training Fund.

However, mining and resource projects - which can total billions of dollars - are exempt from paying the levy.

The CFMEU claimed not only did mining and resource companies have the greatest demand for skilled workers, other industries were paying for them to be trained and ultimately poached.

"Mining and resource projects are the biggest user of skilled workers," CFMEU WA state secretary Mick Buchan told reporters in Perth.

"(Yet) the resource sector and the mining sector contribute not one cent to a centralised, government-run training fund."

Mr Buchan said the resources industry wanted to rely on imported labour because it was cheaper than training local workers.

He said the union had launched its advertising blitz to lobby the WA government to impose a levy on the sector to help with skills training across the state. 

The CME hit back at the claims this afternoon, saying they’re “totally false” and an “insult”.

It said resource companies contributed to the Construction Training Fund through levies it paid as part of the construction of houses, accommodation and commercial buildings.

It also said claims the sector did not do enough to train employees was not backed up by data; in the two years to Q3 2011 the number of apprentices and trainees in the resource sector increased by 72 per cent,
according to the chamber.

“Ensuring these apprentices and trainees complete their training is a major focus, with the resources sector having the highest retention rate compared to any other industry,” it said in a statement released this
afternoon.

It also drew attention to the higher rate of resource sector trainees and employees staying in training, compared to other industries.

“In 2010, only 22% of apprentices in the resources sector withdrew from their course compared to 45% of apprentices across all
industries.