BHP takes blame for payroll error

BHP said it has communicated the incident to the authorities and the error will cost the company up to $280 m 225 m before taxes.

Some employees were wrongfully deducted from their leave on Australian public holidays, the company said. On average, they were owed six days of leave.

We are sorry to all current and former employees impacted by these mistakes. This is not good enough and falls short of the standards we expect at BHP, said Geraldine Slattery, BHP's Australia president.

We are working to rectify and remediate these issues, with interest, as quickly as possible, she said.

The firm also said it has asked the company to conduct a review of its payroll systems. The company said it will provide an update on its investigations during its full-year earnings call in August.

At sites such as the Escondida mine in Chile, which is the largest copper mine in the world, it has around 80,000 employees and contract workers.

Although the company is listed in Australia, it has been a member of the FTSE 100 in the UK for over a decade.

In January 2022, the firm took its shares off the London market after receiving pressure from some investors to reduce its corporate structure.

Supporters of the move argued that it would make it easier for BHP to raise funds, do deals, and return money to shareholders.