About 30 per cent of BHP Nickel West’s workforce have been stood down, as the miner prepares to suspend its nickel operations this month.
About 30 per cent of BHP Nickel West’s workforce have been stood down, as the miner prepares to shutter its nickel operations this month.
Since deciding to mothball its Nickel West division in July, the mining giant has been searching for other internal roles, standing down or retaining its workforce of 3,500.
Of that total workforce- being the largest impacted by the state’s battery metals woes- about 1,600 were frontline workers alongside a mix of contractors.
So far, redeployment offers have gone out about 700 workers who will be offered new roles within different teams at the Big Australian.
It’s understood about 30 per cent of the nickel workforce have taken up redundancy offers, as the process continues over the coming months.
The miner is also understood to have retained about 400 workers, being both direct employees and contractors, for the care and maintenance period ahead of reassessing the decision by February 2027.
Although the process is ongoing as the nickel assets wind down in stages, a question mark still looms over several hundred Western Australian jobs.
BHP pulled the trigger on mothballing its Nickel West arm after grappling with ongoing depressed nickel prices spurred by a deluge of cheaper Indonesian supply.
The temporary suspension impacts BHP's Kwinana Nickel Refinery, Kalgoorlie smelter, Mount Keith and Leinster mining operations, and the West Musgrave development.
Engineering and haulage contractors, fellow miners, airlines and power suppliers were caught in the fallout of BHP's decision.
Several towns have been left reeling from the decision, namely Leinster in the northern Goldfields, which is almost entirely home to BHP employees.
"We committed to our frontline people that if you wanted a job with BHP, you would get one,” BHP WA Nickel asset president Jessica Farrell said.
“We’ve now made redeployment offers to over 700 people, and we're continuing to work through this every day.
The writing was on the wall since earlier this year when BHP flagged a review and later wipped $5.4 billion off the value of its nickel assets, citing the freefall in prices.
Upon making the suspension call, Nickel West said it would establish a $20 million community fund expected to aid the towns particularly impacted like Leinster, Kambalda and Kalgoorlie.
The first community workshop discussing the fund was recently held in Kalgoorlie, with applications for funding expected to open in the coming months.
The miner also hosted job fair events in Kalgoorlie and Leinster in a bid to support its impacted workforce, particuarly those hoping to remain employed locally.
“We’re also working hand in hand with the Goldfields community to design our $20 million community fund," Ms Farrell said.
"Our first workshop was incredibly insightful, with valuable ideas to help make sure it provides the support the community needs.
“We couldn’t do any of this without the hard work of our people, partners and support from our communities working with us to manage this in the most responsible way we can."
BHP Nickel West is spending $450 million per year on maintaining its mines and processing facilities ahead of reviewing the decision and potentially restarting operations.
It’s also committed $5 million towards backing 30 apprenticeships in the building and construction industry in the Goldfields through the state government’s GTO Wage Subsidy program.
