Palmer gives Mercs as Xmas bonus to staff

He wasn't wearing a Santa suit and he arrived by plane not sleigh, but the bag of
gifts Clive Palmer was dispensing when he arrived in Townsville on Friday was enough
to put even St Nick to shame.
The mining magnate, one of Australia's richest men, devised a $10 million Christmas
bonus for his workforce - in recognition of the Yabulu nickel refinery's stunning
turnaround.
Fifty-five high-performing staff at the refinery have been rewarded for their
efforts with a new Mercedes B Class Hatch.
Among the recipients of the luxury vehicle is an employee earning little more than
$40,000 a year who has worked for the refinery for more than 30 years, Mr Palmer
told AAP on Friday.
Another 750 employees will receive international holidays, while more than 60 new
staffers, those who have been there less than six months, will receive holiday
packages to a luxury Port Douglas resort.
Mr Palmer said the generous Christmas bonuses were a recognition of the part staff
played in the refinery's rapid transition from profit drain to cash cow.
"There's nothing worse than being a small cog in a big machine where no-one really
appreciates you," he said.
"We want to make the workforce realise that they are all important to us, they have
all performed very well."
When Mr Palmer took over Queensland Nickel Pty Ltd last year, it was losing about
$10 million a month, the mining magnate said.
Since then production has been boosted by 30 per cent, resulting in "hundreds of
millions of dollars" in positive cash flow.
Mr Palmer said the change in the refinery's fortunes was down to the efforts and
ingenuity of staff.
"When we took over the plant we recognised that we didn't know how to run the plant
as well as the workforce," he said.
"Our strategy was to get the workforce onside and realise that we are all in this
together.
"We let them go to do what they thought was best."