“As part of our continuous improvement in how we approach work, we have made some changes to better align work activities within assets and support quicker decision-making,” BHP said in an emailed response to questions from Bloomberg News. It didn’t comment on job cuts.
BHP — a major producer of everything from iron ore to copper and metallurgical coal — suffered a sharp profit slump in its fiscal first half. While that was largely due to a $2.5 billion writedown in its nickel business, most major miners have been hit by cost inflation and softer commodity prices.
In its financial results last week, BHP said the cost of mining was higher than prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, and warned that while prices pressures from energy and logistics had eased, labor costs remained a key risk.
In Australia, BHP’s country president Geraldine Slattery sent a message to staff outlining the changes to functions including health, safety, environment and mine planning.
The AFR report didn’t say how many staff members might be affected by the restructure.
Read More: BHP launches major worldwide restructuring, AFR reports