Unions Plan Eight-Hour Strike at BHP Port Hedland Operations

Workers at BHP's Port Hedland port operations will stop work for an eight-hour period on Thursday. The Combined Ports Unions, which includes members from the Electrical Trade Union, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the Western Mine Workers Alliance, organized the action.

The unions are seeking equal pay for equal work, a transparent classification structure based on skills and qualifications, and working conditions set out in an enterprise agreement. A spokesperson from the NT and Queensland ETU branches said these terms are standard in enterprise agreements negotiated by unions across the country.

Background on the Dispute Port Hedland ships about $150 million of iron ore a day, with BHP accounting for about $120 million of that volume. ETU WA secretary Adam Woodage previously said the strike could cost BHP between $40 million and $50 million depending on productivity levels during the stoppage.

Dr Alexis Vassiley, a work and employment relations lecturer at Edith Cowan University, said the action could provide leverage for unions to negotiate an enterprise agreement. He noted that only train drivers at BHP and Rio Tinto currently have union-negotiated enterprise agreements in the Pilbara.

Zempilas said the strike marked an emboldening of the union movement under Premier Roger Cook's leadership. He stated that fair-minded West Australians would consider the wages and conditions at the port to be adequate or world-leading. Newly appointed WA Mines Minister Daniel Pastorelli said the government wants workers to be rewarded for their work while ensuring the industry continues to thrive.

He urged all parties to find a practical solution. Vassiley said more industrial action is possible if bargaining does not produce changes after Thursday's action. He said workers withdrawing their labour is the only leverage available when negotiations stall.