Hundreds of employees at BHP’s Port Hedland terminal in Western Australia have voted to authorise industrial action, according to two unions, introducing a tangible risk of interruptions to iron ore shipments from a major export hub.
The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) reported that all 100 of its participating members - 100% - backed strike action. The approved stoppages range from 30 minutes to 24 hours and could begin within days.
More than 100 members of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) also voted in favour of authorising strikes, with 89.4% supporting industrial action, a union spokesperson said.
These ballots follow months of bargaining between the unions and BHP aimed at reaching a labour agreement. Workers are seeking changes to pay and employment conditions, and the unions say negotiations have been unproductive.
"We have attempted to negotiate a resolution for more than six months, but BHP’s obstructive conduct has meant we don’t have anyone to negotiate with," said Adam Woodage, state secretary for Western Australia.
The unions said the ETU is pushing for parity in pay and conditions for port employees who were hired on contracts the union described as "wildly disparate." The ETU framed the dispute as ensuring workers with comparable skills and experience receive consistent terms.
Under the rules cited by the unions, workers may commence industrial action after providing five days notice.
AMWU state secretary Steve McCartney said bargaining had stretched for seven months without resolution. "Members have had enough," he said. "They are demanding to be heard and they are demanding a fair agreement." He added that "more than 100 workers are standing up for fair wages and conditions during a cost-of-living crisis."
BHP did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the unions said.
Port Hedland is one of the world’s largest iron ore loading ports and the largest in Australia. It is connected to several of BHP’s Pilbara mines and is used for all of the company’s iron ore exports from Western Australia, according to the unions’ description of the site.
The authorisations by ETU and AMWU allow for short-duration stoppages and longer halts that could be staggered, a structure that could produce intermittent or more sustained interruptions depending on how action is implemented and whether further negotiations proceed.
At this stage, the unions have set the procedural steps required to begin action but have not specified exact start dates beyond noting the five-day notice requirement. The outcome will depend on whether negotiations between the unions and BHP resume and yield an agreement acceptable to members.