100 signatures reached
To: Glencore
Fair Jobs and Wages for Mudgee
Glencore must turn ongoing work at Ulan Underground into secure, directly employed jobs. It should offer permanent employment to contractors performing ongoing work, create more opportunities for people from Mudgee and surrounding communities, and reduce its reliance on temporary labour.
Glencore must also deliver fair wages for its permanent workforce. Ulan Underground workers have not received a pay rise since March 2023 and should no longer be paid 11.5 per cent less than workers at Glencore’s neighbouring Ulan West mine.
Why is this important?
Glencore extracts enormous wealth from Ulan, but the jobs created should provide lasting benefits for Mudgee.
Temporary contractor numbers at Ulan Underground increased from 149 in July 2025 to 215 in August 2026—a rise of 44 per cent in 13 months. However, Glencore has employed only 12 new permanent workers since the Enterprise Agreement expired in September 2024.
Many contractors travel into the region for work rather than living locally. Offering them permanent employment would provide greater security and encourage more workers and families to settle in Mudgee.
Good permanent jobs support families, local businesses and the wider community. Mudgee should receive a fair return from mining through secure local employment and fair wages—not an increasingly temporary workforce and permanent workers paid less than those at the mine next door.