Arabic version: نقابات بورت هيدلاند تلوّح بإضراب لمدة 24 ساعة في بي إتش بي

According to ABC News, unionised workers at BHP’s Port Hedland operations have given notice of a 24-hour strike, potentially escalating a dispute over bargaining at the Western Australian port.

Members of the combined Ports Unions — the Electrical Trades Union, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Australian Workers Union — are due to stop work from 5:30am on August 9 if a bargaining meeting scheduled for next Tuesday does not produce an agreement. A 24-hour ban on loading ships is planned for the preceding day.

The proposed action would be the second strike by unionised workers at the port in weeks. An eight-hour stoppage on July 16 drew about 100 workers, union staff and supporters, but ABC News reported that seven ships were loaded during that stoppage.

Union representatives said bargaining progress had been “glacial”. AMWU WA secretary Steve McCartney said the planned action followed months of negotiations, while ETU WA secretary Adam Woodage said BHP’s proposal was not “fair or transparent”.

BHP described the action as “disappointing” and said it had asked the Fair Work Commission to oversee a negotiated outcome. The company said it was frustrated by the lack of bargaining progress and was seeking greater clarity and detail from unions. The next meeting is expected to be before the commission.

The Chamber of Minerals and Energy has criticised renewed industrial action in the Pilbara as a threat to the national economy. ABC News reported that a 24-hour stoppage could cost BHP $120 million in lost revenue and the WA government $6.85 million in royalty payments.