Queensland Nickel

The workers and work itself was fantastic. I have nothing negative to say in this regard. During the time of my employ I found the majority of my colleagues were hard working people who were professional in the way they conducted themselves.  

The salary overall was average with no scope for advancement or pay increase. 

Unfortunately the company is owned by an individual who has little knowledge on running a refinery, however wants to be part of every decision made and in many cases overriding the staff who had the professional knowledge of the workings of the refinery. It has been run to the ground so badly that it went into administration.
It is currently an unsafe workplace to be working in and there is a good potential for injury or death to occur in the future if operating the same as it currently is.
If the same owner of the company retains control of the refinery in the future I would not even consider working there, no matter how desperate I had become.

Having worked at Queensland Nickel where I was respected as a very competent Control Room Operator in their Power House. I enjoyed working within the Control Room environment and would welcome the opportunity to show my enthusiasm to progress toward a similar position.

In my role as CRO at Queensland Nickel Power House, I gained particular expertise in stating the refinery from “black” in a timely and efficient and safe manner many times, due to “teething” problems associated with Yabulu Extension Program integration. Also in my role as CRO, other areas of expertise include better than average skills at fault finding and problem solving. I have well developed time management skills and am able to achieve objectives in a timely and safe manner, always mindful of company property and personnel when completing any given objective.

A typical day at worked required a shift hand over - planning for the shift ahead, with personnel available, equipment available in conjunction with production and maintenance schedule.
I learnt how to improvise to keep the plant operational, to organise and plan for the next shift coming on.
Worked daily with management to plan for production and shutdown schedules.
Good rapport with all my co-workers, am able to work harmoniously with people from all walks of life.
Hardest part of the job was working in the hot and humid conditions , sometimes knee deep in mud.
Sense of achievement and a feeling of self worth, and team spirit were the enjoyable things about the job. Working as a team to solve complex problems.

A typical day at work was usually a prestart then straight into the required job at hand , most often was planned shutdowns as I was in the Shut crew.
Whilst at QN I learned to tig weld to class 1 and as such was utilized on many pipe jobs and boiler shuts.
The managers at Qn were all very approachable and recieved suggestions well.
Mostly good guys in our crew and around site but there's always the odd difficult people to deal with.
Sometimes the hardest part of the job was getting the right tools and equipment to do certain jobs but that also was some of the best parts because when you and the boys pull off a difficult job with limited resources it makes you proud to be a part of that team.

We would start the day/shift with a safety meeting and be made aware of any hazards or breakdowns that had happened between shifts. There was great comradery and everyone were always able to help each other out. When the big jobs came in everyone pitched in to get the job done. The most enjoyable part of the job was the relationships formed with fellow workmates and knowing they were there to watch your back. We had a strong Work Safe culture, so safety was priority one. As we know Queensland Nickel has shut down, so the hardest part of the job was the knowing that the friendships made were going to be missed.

* Nothing wrong with the position description and work colleagues
* Culture of beware what you say or do as your job may be on the line
* Shift rotation satisfactory, however due to lack of staff there were increased call-ins. No time to recoup your energy
* Salary was eroded over the last 5 years due to no pay increases and bonus scheme was scrapped to help fund the owners private affairs
* Management was restricted in their ability to manage due to being 'micromanaged' by owner of refinery

What is the best part of working at the company?
Make sure the quality of Nickel ore on specification as requirement plan

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Maintain the Nickel ore quality as the requirement

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
As the work team so far so good and not many conflict each other

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Always busy all the time from the morning to the Afternoon

Because this is my first job when I arrived here in Australia, Everyday is always fun for me. Worked with a group of Australians and learned different stuff. Management and my co-workers they all fantastic and very helpful as well. Being new to this country that time, they all very understanding. I think the only hardest part of my job is be able to learn Australian way and understand thier accent at that time. The most enjoyable part of my job are I got to work with all wonderful people and my husband as well..

A large and effective organization that served North Queensland and Australia remarkably well for over forty years. What other Australian company imported raw material, refined it to 99.9% purity and exported it back for international use. Such a shame it became a victim of our shameful politicians.

Interacting with people,helping them with inquiries,D&A Testing. VIP's,CCTV monitoring,First Aids,Documentations & reports.Handling Emergencies.Assessments of workplace.

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