Highlights
- Sharon Mateo Byrne joined the mining industry, hoping she could earn enough to go back home to the Philippines.
- She experienced sexual harassment in the mines. Another woman was assaulted underground during her 12 years working in the industry.
- Working in the mines is especially rewarding because of what you can earn, but Sharon warns that extensive research should be done prior to being part of it.
Listen to audio
LISTEN TO
Isang Pilipina na dating miner, nagsalita ukol sa misogyny at harrasment sa mga minahan sa Australya
SBS Filipino
04/04/202207:22
"I started working in the mines when I was barely 17. I was the only Asian woman to apply for an apprenticeship," Queenslander Sharon Mateo Byrne shares, "I was unprepared for it all."
Sharon left the Philippines for Australia as an unsure teenager and left the Mount Isa mines after 12 years, accomplished and self-assured.
Sharon left the Philippines for Australia as an unsure teenager and left the Mount Isa mines after 12 years, accomplished and self-assured. Source: Sharon Mateo Byrne
Swear like a miner
In 1988, Sharon flew to Australia to live with her mum and stepdad in Mount Isa, Queensland.
"I left the Philippines when I was in high school. I didn't know myself then. I was so lonely and isolated in Mount Isa. It felt like such a small place and I didn't have friends. I wanted to go back home to the Philippines."
Wanting to go back to the Philippines, Sharon decided to get a job in the mines to earn money for the trip.
"I left the Philippines when I was in high school. I didn't know myself then. I was so lonely and isolated in Mount Isa." Source: Sharon Mateo Byrne
"My mum was confused why I decided to quit school and not head off to university. I had only been in Australia for six months when I applied for an apprenticeship.
"I was an apprentice from 1988 to 1992. I worked in different parts of the mine. We would go underground."
She admits that one of the reasons she experienced overwhelming culture shock in the mines was due to the local lingo.
"I spoke English, but it took me a while to get used to the local lingo. I found it very difficult to follow conversations. And the swearing! My head would spin."
"I was an apprentice from 1988 to 1992. I worked in different parts of the mine. We would go underground." Source: Pixabay
Sharon realised that if she wanted to truly immerse herself in the industry, she had to adapt to how people communicated in the mines.
"The first thing I had to do was learn how to swear really well. I used to swear like a real miner," she laughs, adding, "Once I got the lingo right, I was treated like one of the guys. I was accepted into the team."
The dangers of the environment
Sharon worked in different areas in the mines during her apprenticeship, until she eventually settled into the role of electrician.
"Working in the mines is dangerous because it's an industrial environment.
"We were in charge of providing power to the substation to power up floors underground. When I went down the levels, there was no power. Everything was dark. There was no airconditioning or ventilation."
"We were in charge of providing power to the substation to power up floors underground. When I went down the levels, there was no power. Everything was dark." Source: Julia Volk from Pexels
Sharon shares that even the simple task of getting water to drink proved risky.
"You need to go to another area to get cold water, but the path wasn't necessarily a straight line. You have to go around and go through planks of wood not knowing what was underneath.
"Water could be 500 metres away and the quickest way to it was over a plank of wood on top of a plastic covering. I only found out later on that there was actually an open pit underneath the covering. I could've easily fallen through and not be seen."
Misogyny in the mines
Sharon was the first Filipino female to be employed full-time and permanently in the mining company she used to work for. She admits that she faced unique challenges being part of both minority groups.
"In the 1980s, a lot of Filipino women in Mount Isa were 'mail order brides'. That's the context of the place and era I was in, so there were a lot of people who looked down on Asians, especially Filipinos.
"During my apprenticeship, I was harassed by a co-apprentice. He started off just asking me out. He would say 'Look at your people marrying these old men.' I had the audacity to say 'no' to him.
"My stepdad and mum were worried about me that my stepdad would pick me up from work everyday. Then they got me a car so I wouldn't need to ride a bike going home."
"My stepdad would pick me up from work everyday. Then they got me a car so I wouldn't need to ride a bike going home." Source: Sharon Mateo Byrne
"The harassment got to a point where my co-apprentice was behind me and he threatened me, saying 'One day, when you're by yourself, you're going to get it.'"
Luckily, one of Sharon's female colleagues heard the threat and reported him to management.
"Management knew about the ongoing harassment and sacked him after the report was made."
Sharon admits that harassment towards women and misogyny are realities of working in the mines.
In 2020, the Australian Bureau of Statistics noted that male workers make up 83% of the mining industry. Source: pvcurcio from Pixabay
"Misogyny is common in the mines. When I was there, it was normal to see adult magazines laying around while you ate.
"In the 12 years I worked in the industry, there was one reported assault towards a female worker in an underground changing room.
"Even when I shifted to working in the tech side of the industry, there were still more men than women. People would be surprised that I would be the one training them with the tech."
In need of a cultural shift
Sharon, who now works as a counsellor, believes that although women are more easily accepted into the mining industry nowadays, some of the same barriers still exist.
"We need a cultural shift regarding how society views women.
"There are more women in managerial roles now, but we're still dictated and dominated by patriarchal hierarchies."
Sharon, her daughter and granddaughter: "We need a cultural shift regarding how society views women." Source: Sharon Mateo Byrne
Sharon shares that FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) mining has been especially beneficial to women workers.
"I had a small experience with FIFO. It's a good way to work but, the worst thing is if a woman is getting harassed in a particular area and, she is isolated and can't leave."
Sharon shares that the financial rewards as well as her drive to see things to the end pushed her to continue working for more than a decade in the mines.
Sharon shares that FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) mining has been especially beneficial to women workers. Source: rauschenberger from Pixabay
"For those who want to be in the industry, the financial aspect is especially rewarding; but, be aware of the dangers. And if you're a woman, there will be a lot more you will be contending with.
"You have to know how to stand up for yourself. You have to know your rights. If you know you all these things and you have confidence, people know they can't f*** around with you."
