The Canary In The Coal Mine? The Human In The Ore Mine
How the golden handcuffs of a mining pipedream trap migrant workers in a furnace that some don’t return from.
Every pack of friends has its lone wolf: that one rebel rejecting the herd mentality and just forging their trail instead of following the pack. The one living life on their own terms, guided by an insatiable hunger for adventure and a howling spirit of independence. A life lived on the razor’s edge, with freedom and isolation wrapped in one fierce, solitary package.
Back in Argentina, when my group of mid-twenties friends was settling into the cozy predictability of small-town life in Patagonia, one restless soul was yearning for more, his eyes fixed on a distant horizon. The promise of quick fortune and globe-trotting adventures beckoned. His compass, this time, was pointing to Australia after hearing about the “Fly-In Fly-Out” (FIFO) mining jobs that have become popular with young Millenials.
A job that could provide him exactly what he was looking for: a quick piggy bank to a life less ordinary. Entry-level positions starting at $63,000 per year, while experienced workers make up to $113,000 per year. For context, it would take me 3 years to make even the entry-level position salary here in Argentina.
