Mining
Giant BHP will shell out a fortune for underpaying its workers
Mining giant BHP said on Thursday it had underpaid thousands of Australian workers for more than a decade, a mistake that cost them at least 255 million francs.
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Mining giant BHP It announced on Thursday that 28,500 Australian workers have been underpaid for more than a decade, with no paid leave for those who work or have worked in this group. BHP Australia chairman Geraldine Slattery said the error would be rectified “as soon as possible” and “with enthusiasm”.
The Anglo-Australian Mining Group did not say how the error occurred. “We apologize to all current and former employees affected by these errors,” Geraldine Slattery said, adding, “This is not what we expect from BHP.”
A heavy bill
The global giant says it hopes to have a full estimate of the cost of the error when it publishes its results in August, but has already estimated it at “US$280 million before taxes” (almost 255 million francs).
BHP is one of the world’s leading producers of metallurgical coal, iron ore, nickel, copper and potash. Australia has one of the world’s most atrocious workforce protection systems, and it’s not uncommon for companies to discover past pay issues and be forced to rectify the situation.
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(AFP)
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