This week, Steve’s discusses the consequences of relationship disputes in FIFO, tells us what his best “tool” is and shares his knowledge of an unspoken FIFO/mining worker rating system/database, which is supposedly used to keep information on workers in Western Australia.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:

– Because they’ve just been total, total tools, and sometimes you might know better than them.

– [Jason] Yeah.

– Good day, I’m Jason and welcome back in to episode 16. Where this week we have Steve, the plumber from WA, who works as a Tubey, back for part two of his interview. Last week Steve was a little quiet, though I can assure you, he was only just warming up. As this week, he dives head first into some controversial topics. He also loves to have a laugh, though the insight into FIFO that he gives with his answers is brilliant. Here’s Steve. Apart from the common things like your toothbrush and underwear, what’s the one thing you never leave home without when you’re coming to work?

– Never leave home fighting and arguing with your partner. You gotta resolve the issue before you go away. Otherwise you go out on camp, you’re stewing on it, you don’t wanna be there, you know. Everyone around just starts pissing you off and you get negative before you’ve even step foot on site. And then you’ve got everyone else’s negativity. And you just try to deal with it and it’s too hard. You gotta always resolve an issue at home, if you can, I know it’s… FIFO is hard on everyone, you know. Always the other partner as well, it’s just as hard on them.

– What’s your best tool or activity to help–

– My tool? Which tool? Getting out and go for a surf, like you know, if you wanna, that is definitely mine. It’s being able to go on a Sunday and go for a surf or a quiet surf, or, you know, get away from it. But, I don’t really wanna say piss because that’s what everyone would say, drink and piss, you know. Reading books became so interesting because you’ve gotta find something else. You just, you know, sit and draw in your room and then, you know, or you go and just drink and piss. And that’s all some guys wanna do and that’s cool. Try to keep your mind active as well. So, you know, going around on that depression kinda state Constantly keep in contact with your family and your mates. Give ’em a call. You know, make sure you got a good Telstra or like What is it, Telstra?

– Sim card device?

– Not device, it’s just that, oh well, yeah, yeah, device. You gotta have good, yeah that is a good point mate, you gotta have good internet. I’d spend the money on, you know, buy a good toggle or one of those thumb drive, you know, so that you can be connected to crew. Call crew up and just chat to ’em. Make sure you got plenty of credit. A lot of camps it’s only Telstra, unfortunately. But Telstra is really the only one that works. And so make sure you got plenty on that to call crew and just have a laugh. Keep you positive.

– What do you think employees are lacking maybe?

– Oh, a lot of employees lack people skills. But then, for us as well, you know you gotta get on with them real well, you know. There’s no use coming into a job negatively and building up a hatred towards certain people in your crew and then, pissing off your bosses. Or you just don’t get a long with them. If you really can’t stand the guy, you’ve gotta get out of that crew, if it’s possible, and into another crew under another supervisor. Because at the end of the day, those guys are your reference. So you have to get on with them and pretty much do what they say. And I haven’t always been like that. I’ve always clashed with certain supervisors because they’ve just been, total, total tools. Yeah, and sometimes you might know better than them. But you know, I’ve learnt some lessons here and you know, fighting and arguing with ’em really doesn’t get you anywhere. You best off just doing what they say. As in, you know, if they make the cock ups then, you know, that’s them. Hopefully they don’t blame me for it. But really, it’s them at the end of the day.

– And if, like you were saying, in the past you have clashed with a few of them.

– Yeah.

– Has that caused issues further down the track in the industry for you?

– It can do. Like nowadays with this, what is it? In WA they’ve got I’m trying to think of it. you know, or they’ve got all your stuff on a database and your information and anything that you’ve done really bad, could go against ya. No one really knows a lot about them, it’s just this, like, secret thing that’s… They got a database on you and all the big construction companies in WA mainland, all go through that, and check out, you know, what you’ve done. You know, whether your resume lines up with what they’ve got down on paper. So, you know, that’s another question. You know really, you know.

– So there’s no fiddling your resume then?

– There’s no, yeah, tweaking up your resume. You know, now, nowadays too, the supervisors are doing a…

– Evaluation?

– Yeah, that, yeah. Evaluation on you. Checking, you know, giving you a score.

– What would you score?

– I don’t,probably low. Again I’m not phased or, you know… You can’t have these hang ups of like, you know I’ve gotta get onto the next job you know. I don’t really care if I do or not. You know, if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. And other guys are probably more, you know, pushing forward to get that. And that’s cool. Everybody’s different.

– Is there any ways that these big companies, like, could improve things or do something different to make your time better?

– They could, but I know they won’t. I mean, look at Barrow for instance, you know. They wanna keep this you know, pristine environment there, and not have it disturbed. Yet, what’s the harm in people going for a swim or going for a surf on the island and you know, enjoying it as well, as not just working on it? Yet they’ve cleared massive land to build what they want, but they don’t want the human footprint, so to speak, you know.

– Bit of a contradiction.

– It is, it really is. But, you’ve gotta play their game. And I did play Barrow’s game for a while and I didn’t really like it. It is a hard place to go and work. And again, well this is something off topic, but you’ve gotta have the right motivation and goal to go and work at a place like that, because there is no outlet outside of camp restriction. You can’t just get off and go. What most men wanna do is just get away, just go. They could but I know they won’t. I mean, look atfor instance, you know. They wanna keep this, you know, pristine environment there and not have it disturbed. Yet, what’s the harm in people going for a swim or going for a surf on the island and you know, enjoying it as well, as not just working on it? Yet, they’ve cleared massive land to build what they want, but they don’t want the human footprint, so to speak, you know.

– Bit of a contradiction.

– It is, it really is. But you’ve gotta play their game. And I did playfor a while, and I didn’t really like it. It is a hard place to go and work. And again, well this is something off topic, but you’ve gotta have the right motivation and goal to go and work at a place like that, because there is no outlet outside of camp restriction. You know you can’t just get off and go. What most men wanna do is just get away, just go. See the camp, drive around outside the island and have a look. No. They’ve restricted it that much that you can’t make it around the other island because you can only do 40 tires, so no. Or you might hit something, so. You know, they’re right after looking after the environment, and that’s all cool, I’m all for it, you know. So they could lift their game there and you know, supervise people going down the beach for a swim or sitting on the beach, you know. But in your civies, you know, not in your work clothes. People don’t wanna go on the beach in their work clothes with boots on and fluros you know, and let ’em go out. If there is surf there, let ’em go out for a surf.

– Do you think there’s a reason why they don’t let guys?

– Yeah there’s loads of reasons, you know. They’re afraid of someone getting hurt and ruin their statistics. What, we shouldn’t say that. But that’s exactly what everyone says. They wanna keep their LTI statistics down they don’t want anything else. So as soon as one person hurts himself, then they cut that off. Bam, cut it off, we don’t want that. You know, and that’s just so boring for everyone. There’s always, like, one guy usually ruins it for everybody. It used to take a while, but now it’s just instant. Like, we’ll stop doing that. Alright, we’re not gonna use, you know, knives anymore. Well, how are we supposed to cut things? I don’t know, use a plastic butter knife.

– Thanks for watching. Next week we have Steve back for part three and the final part of his interview. Don’t forget to leave any comments, feedback, suggestions, in the comments box below. Share, like and subscribe. Here’s a preview. See you next week.

– I’d hate it. I’d rather die in the ocean. That’s a sensitive subject, isn’t it?