Australian Unions will take aim at the country's powerful mining interests for attempting to undo the federal government's Same Job Same Pay rights that come into effect next month.
ACTU secretary Sally McManus will use a national convention of the Mining and Energy Union in Brisbane on Monday to attack the Coalition's plan to review the laws.
Same Job Same Pay rights require companies to pay labour hire workers at least the same amount as directly employed workers.
"The cost of paying labour hire workers fairly and equally pales in comparison to mining company profits; It is small change for them, Ms McManus said.
"This week thousands of workers will see pay rises flow through, many of them very significant because the Albanese Government withstood the campaign by big business last year to stop workers getting better rights. However, the big mining company owners and CEOs are demanding the Coalition restore their wage cutting schemes."
The Fair Work Commission can start making orders from November 1, but many employers have already abandoned the use of labour hire by bringing workers in-house or upping their pay.
This has occurred in industries as diverse as warehousing, aviation, meat processing and mining.
However, some mining companies are still fighting in the courts and politically to reverse the laws.
The mining industry generated $253 billion in the past financial year. In the last decade, profits have increased by almost four times more than wages in the sector.
Despite that, the mining lobby wants to bring back the use of its labour hire wage cutting schemes.
Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume confirmed last month that the laws would be reviewed if the Coalition won the next election.
"The thing is many big businesses will always be looking for ways to cut wages. They will always be looking for loopholes and legal schemes to increase their profits. The job of a government is to support Australian workers and their families by making sure this does not happen," Ms McManus said.
"The Minerals Council of Australia and Gina Rinehart talk about the new rights as threatening to increase workplace conflict and drive away investment.
"It is true mining investment is down, but not because of union efforts to win more job security for workers. Over the last decade, mining investment as a percentage of GDP has fallen from 9.2 per cent to 2.9 per cent.
"For every dollar the industry is reinvesting back into Australia, the industry and its shareholders are banking $1.50 in profits."
