Mining giant Mineral Resources builds luxury complex on iron ore site to attract FIFO workers

An Australian mining company has unveiled luxurious new accommodation sites in a bid to attract workers to the industry.

Mineral Resources (MinRes) is preparing to break ground on two affluent villages at its $3bn Onslow Iron project in the West Pilbara in northern Western Australia.

The new excavations are more akin to a holiday resort than the mine’s traditional accommodation buildings, called dongas, and typically little more than an air-conditioned tin shed.

Other Western Australian mining sites are expected to follow suit as part of a push to change the FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) work culture and encourage more women to join the industry.

Each ‘pod’ will come equipped with a queen-size bed, private bathroom, equipped laundry room, kitchenette, living room, large-screen TV, and balcony.

MinRes has ordered 750 rooms for Onslow, each encompassing 45 square meters of living space, three times the size of traditional FIFO accommodation.

Apartment-style rooms will come furnished with a queen-size bed, private bathroom, equipped laundry, kitchenette, living room, large-screen TV, and balcony.

Each pair of rooms, known as a ‘pod’, will be linked by walkways and set up like a resort, with shared gathering spaces, barbecues and lounging spots.

Other features will include an Olympic-size swimming pool, an a la carte restaurant, a wellness center and a recreation building with a cinema.

This is expected to give the mining giant a competitive edge over rivals amid a tight job market.

Other features at Onslow include an Olympic-size swimming pool, an a la carte restaurant, a wellness center and a recreation building with a cinema.

MinRes hopes the luxury features will give the mining giant a competitive edge over rivals amid a tight job market.

MinRes director of people and shared services, Bronwyn Grieve, said Onslow would require 2,100 direct and 6,200 indirect positions as it prepares to ship around 35m tonnes of ore a year from mid-2024.

“Obviously we are operating, like all companies, in an environment where it becomes more difficult to attract and retain talent and we are very interested in having a high-quality and diverse workforce,” said Ms. Grieve. Western Australia.

“We need a lot of good people to manage a really valuable asset and we think this is a good strategy to attract that talent.”

Mineral Resources is also building 10 four-bedroom houses in Onslow as a pilot project to encourage more families to move to the area.

Ms Grieve said the houses had been designed to meet the demand of the growing number of couples wanting to work on their mining sites.

“There is a room for two, so we encourage couples to be there,” he said.

“All of that costs, it’s more expensive than a normal camp, but we think it’s a really worthwhile investment.”

Women currently represent 21.6% of the MinRes workforce, up from 16.6% in June 2021.