Autumn issue 2103 - cfmeu

F I F O U P D AT E
with Mick Buchan
CFMEU advocates for more
Recently the Fly-in fly-out (FIFO) and Drive-in drive-out (DIDO) lifestyle has received more media coverage
than usual. The release of a Federal Parliamentary Committee Report is shining a bright light on the
implications of the FIFO lifestyle and the CFMEU is not about to let it fade quickly.
It is no secret that the CFMEU has
been actively campaigning for
shorter, more family and worker
friendly fly-in fly-out (FIFO) rosters
for construction workers. It is as a
result of CFMEU (and other
stakeholders) campaigning that a
Parliamentary Committee was set
up to explore the issues facing FIFO
workers, their families and the flow
on effects of FIFO in regional
Australia.
The CFMEU has the view that more
needs to be done to support
workers required to fly-in fly-out for
their employment. Let’s face it, four
weeks is a long time to be away
from your family and friends, when
you only have one week off and two
of those days might be spent
travelling!
THE CASE FOR CHANGE:
With the resources sector in a
period of growth many construction
workers seek work in the sector,
signing up to the FIFO lifestyle.
Those workers are often confronted
with inadequate living
arrangements, motelling, limited
access to telecommunication
facilities to keep in touch with their
families and poor support systems
from companies. Combine these
with fatigue, isolation and long
working hours and FIFO can be a
tough gig!
But it doesn’t end there! The media and others tend to lump all FIFO workers
into the same category. But we all know that there is great disparity between
the most common roster cycle for those working in oil and gas or in the
production phase of a project and those in construction. Construction workers
generally work a longer swing away, with a shorter stint at home.
While we have seen more general research on the FIFO lifestyle, there has been
little research into construction rosters and we have not seen much action! The
Australian Medical Association conducted a survey of 300 mining workers last
year which revealed that substance abuse, alcohol-related violence, mental
health problems, injuries caused by fatigue and sexually transmitted infections
(STIs) were common health problems amongst those surveyed.
Page 22 Construction Worker – Autumn 2013