FAO Hoolahan, re: wage cuts,

I feel your pain....

From 2012 when the mining industry crash started here through to May last year when I got made redundant. My wages along with other Geologists in my position at the company had wage cuts of effectively 40%. We lost our field bonuses which were basically a standard payment for working FIFO (fly in, fly out) and being away from family/friends in the Arsenal end of nowhere with no phone reception/internet etc. Meanwhile the guys in Brisbane, in the office didn't lose anything.

Over that time they cut staff like crazy. When I first started with the company in 2011, they had 150 geo's. When I left there were 5 of us, last week was just 2 and yesterday they went under. Most of which was down to incompetence on a corporate level and a failure to understand the market and what the clients wanted. The business model was f**ked and despite us telling them, and the clients telling them they thought they knew best.

All of our best guys who remain in the area and the industry, are now being picked up by a rival company. I got an offer last week from them too. Whilst the mining industry is still on its arse, so many people have left and either moved away, got different jobs in different industries or gone back to education to re-train. It's now swung right around again so that Geo's are becoming in demand again and the wages are rising as a result. Sure it won't ever get to boom time wages again but it's almost worth thinking about now.

Posted By: I Am Hoot, Feb 29, 21:27:39