Timber workers from Manjimup are the latest beneficiaries of the Pilbara region mining industry’s booming success. The mining giant Rio Tinto has decided to hire 24 former timber workers giving them a fresh lease of employment after the timber mills that they used to work for closed down.
Greg Lilleyman, president of the Pilbara operations for Rio Tinto said that most of the new employees had worked in similar roles to heavy haul mining operations and where a strong safety culture was essential.
He was fairly confident that after training these former timber workers could be inducted into the mines such as Pilbara West Angelas, Hope Down and Yandicoogina. They will work on a fly-in and fly-out basis. They will be coming in from Busselton airport on a two weeks on and one week off roster.
44 workers lost their jobs last month when the Gunns Limited Company closed its timber mill in Manjimup. The Deanmill also closed last month after being in operation for nearly 100 years. The laid of timber workers are delighted that there was somebody who really wanted to hire them.
Terry Redman the Western Australian Agriculture Minister is also happy with Rio Tinto’s decision to take on these displaced employees. He said that a whole range of groups and companies are coming in to town to look at the potential of Manjimup to be a source of workers for the mining sector and indeed to help people stay living where they are, bring a sense of economy back into that community.