FIFO workers are a reasonably small but incredibly significant part of our workforce in Australia, especially in WA and other mining rich parts of the country. WA alone has over 63,000 FIFO workers. Pinnacle People has FIFO workers on its books around the country, but particularly in NT, WA and QLD.
The extremely high cost of living in these remote locations and the high cost of relocating families to these regions is what makes the FIFO option such a profitable business decision for many in the mining sector and a good option for some workers and families. It is cheaper to fly the employee in and out of the location for their work/rest stints, than attract them to, house them, and recompense them enough to live in these remote areas.
Unfortunately there are many negatives for the FIFO worker and their family. Along with the stress that it puts on the family, there are issues of alcohol and other substance abuse, increase in STD’s, mental illness, increase in suicide rates and violence.
Something that the Australian Government is looking into deeply at the moment is the sleeping conditions that many of these workers are expected to endure.
Can you imagine coming home from a hot dirty 12 hour plus shift and then falling into a bed that someone else has just hopped out of to go and do their 12 hour shift?
Or, you are on location – you work a 10 day period sleeping in the same room each night, go home, and when you come back you are in a different room. You can’t leave any personal effects behind, no photos, no memories of the home you are away from for 10 days at a time.
This is called “hot bedding” or “motelling”. A survey undertaken at the end of 2014 of more than 1000 FIFO workers, found this to be happening to 22% of FIFO workers! This is worse in some areas than others, but the fact that it happens at all is quite appalling and construction unions have now convinced the ALP national conference to support a crackdown on this as well as several other workforce issues that FIFO workers face as part of their everyday conditions.
The well-being of FIFO workers needs to be addressed before more lives are lost or ruined.