The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) is accusing Glencore (LSE:GLEN) of attempting to replace Australian workers with overseas labour at its Mount Isa Mines operations in Queensland, in order to undercut fair wage increases in current enterprise bargaining negotiations.
AWU, which represents workers across Glencore’s operations in Mount Isa, says the company is seeking to bring up to 120 foreign workers under a labour agreement despite making hundreds of local workers redundant last year and receiving a $600 million taxpayer-funded rescue package.
The union says Glencore is recruiting overseas workers, including conducting in-person interviews in Zambia.
In October 2025, Glencore received a multi-million dollar support package from the Australian and Queensland governments to keep the Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville copper refinery operating for the next three years.
The joint funding was designed to keep the operations until at least 2028, as well as protect more than 600 direct jobs in Mount Isa and thousands more in the supply chain, including those at Phosphate Hill.
Stacey Schinnerl, AWU Queensland branch secretary, says Glencore is seeking truck drivers, accountants and bricklayers.
“They want to bring in electricians, concreters, geologists and welders, I’m sorry but maybe they should go talk to the hundreds of workers they laid off a few months ago before they look overseas,” Schinnerl says.
The union is calling the Australian Government to review and reconsider any approval allowing Glencore to recruit overseas workers while bargaining is ongoing.
Glencore has rejected these comments from the AWU on worker recruitment.
The company says its preference is to fill job vacancies at the Mount Isa Mines operations with local residents where they possess the necessary skills and abilities.
“The AWU may not like it, but the reality is that the combination of a national skills shortage and a workers’ preference for fly-in fly-out and drive-in drive-out roles is making it hard for us to recruit for jobs based in Mount Isa,” Glencore says.
Since October 2025, Glencore has offered 270 permanent jobs to people based locally. The 120 skilled job vacancies are being advertised in Australia and overseas.
The mining giant notes that anyone recruited from overseas will be paid the same as local employees and are recruited to live locally with their families which supports the town’s local residential population.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Glencore