Mineral Resources chief executive Chris Ellison has told white-collar staff there will be job losses and no pay rises for senior employees as he seeks to shrink numbers at the miner’s showpiece office. Ellison told employees on Monday “global economic headwinds and softening commodity prices” had hit the sector. Mining billionaire Chris Ellison.
Credit: Trevor Collens The company founder said the miner would soon have far fewer workers: its Yilgarn iron ore operation in the Goldfields will close this year affecting about 1000 people; construction of its Onslow iron ore project, employing about 2500, is coming to a close; and a sustained low lithium price will mean that workforce must be trimmed. “With the natural reduction in our blue-collar workforce, we will also have a necessary reduction in head office staff,” he said in an email to employees obtained by this masthead. “[These changes will ensure] our corporate overheads are sustainable while still maintaining an industry-leading workplace standard.
” Workers will learn their fate over the next two weeks. Ellison told the company its annual review of remuneration would focus on frontline workers, and employees at manager level and above would have no pay rise this year. MinRes was asked how many jobs would be lost in the office and on the company’s operating sites but did not provide a response.
A company spokesman said it constantly reviews its organisational structure for efficiency. On Tuesday employees .