New guide prepares Irish FIFO workers for Australian outback

Thousands of Irish people are working in remote mining regions in Australia, employed on what are known as FIFO (fly in fly out) contracts. They spend a few weeks on site, working long hours with few if any rest days, before flying back to a city such as Perth or Brisbane for their week off. Salaries are much higher than they would earn on a normal work contract, but they come at a cost.

Crosscare Migrant Project, part of the Dublin Archdiocese, has warned that Irish workers who are not prepared can find the conditions challenging, and the long periods away from friends and family in an inhospitable environment on the work camps can place a strain on their mental wellbeing and family relationships.

The agency, which is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, has produced a new guide to “support and inform” Irish workers, “to help them cope with the FIFO environment”.

The guide is a short version of a longer Crosscare report about the negative impacts of FIFO work, based on research by the Australian government, academics, and agencies specialising in mental health and addiction.

Perhaps most startling of all is the finding reported in several studies, cited by Crosscare, that FIFO workers are at higher risk of mental illness and suicide than the general population. Isolation from family and friends can lead to dependence on alcohol, drugs or prostitutes, and the “split lifestyle” can result in social phobias, relationship breakdown, and even post traumatic stress disorder.

Fatigue as a result of intense rosters can increase the likelihood of accidents, and lead to behavioural changes such as excess consumption of alcohol or cigarettes, a more sedentary lifestyle, or poor sleeping habits. These effects may continue when the worker is “back home” with family and friends on their week off.

Prolonged absences from family can also place a lot of stress on relationships, Crosscare says. FIFO workers often report feeling anxious over their partner leaving them, and guilt about being away from their family. Partners can report feelings of isolation, loneliness and abandonment. Their children are more likely to experience bullying, and feel increased pressure to perfom academically.

Bullying and a “tough guy” culture is common. Women working on FIFO contracts experience a lack of privacy, inappropriate attention from male co-workers, harrassment and discrimination.

Intense heat, sometimes reaching over 50 degrees on site, can be difficult to handle too, the Crosscare report says, and the standard of accommodation offered to workers can be very poor, with some expected to bed-share with others on a different shift pattern.

With so many negatives associated with FIFO contracts, Irish workers need to ask themselves, is the high wage really worth it?