Electrical Trades Union members employed at the Port Hedland bulk port terminal owned by BHP will be asked to vote on potential work stoppages, the union said in a statement on Friday. The ballot follows a six-month period in which union negotiators say talks with employer representatives repeatedly failed to produce progress.
The union described a negotiation process marked by instances where company representatives were either unauthorised to negotiate, unwilling to negotiate, or both. The resulting stalemate has prompted the union to take the dispute to a membership ballot on protected industrial action.
At the heart of the disagreement are what the union describes as significant inconsistencies in employment arrangements. Workers at the terminal were engaged under markedly different common-law contracts and employed through two separate legal entities, both ultimately owned by BHP. The union says these disparities have produced wide variations in terms and conditions among employees doing similar roles.
Union members are seeking clearer and more transparent job classifications and objective criteria for promotion, along with pay parity for staff performing the same duties. The Electrical Trades Union highlighted the scale of its representation, noting it comprises more than 70,000 electricians, apprentices and electrical workers across Australia.
Union officials in Western Australia said that, after multiple meetings with management yielded no resolution, members were left with protected industrial action as the only viable avenue. "When managers fail to negotiate after multiple meetings, union members are left to resort to protected industrial action as the only way forward," said the union's Western Australia secretary, Adam Woodage.
Woodage additionally said the pattern of conduct by employers across BHP operations in the Pilbara had left lawful protected industrial action as the only remaining option for affected workers.
Port Hedland is among the world's largest iron ore loading ports and is the largest in Australia. The terminal is connected to a number of BHP's mines in the Pilbara region.
BHP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Summary
After six months of talks that union officials say were obstructed by unauthorised or unwilling company representatives, electrical workers at BHP's Port Hedland terminal will vote on possible work stoppages. The dispute involves inconsistent common-law contracts across two BHP-owned entities and demands for transparent classifications, promotion criteria and pay parity.
Key points
- Electrical Trades Union members at Port Hedland will ballot on protected industrial action after six months of stalled negotiations.
- Workers were hired under disparate common-law contracts through two legal entities ultimately owned by BHP, prompting calls for consistent classifications and pay parity.
- The outcome could affect operations at one of Australia's and the world's largest iron ore loading ports, which serves several BHP mines in the Pilbara.
Risks and uncertainties
- Potential for protected industrial action - could disrupt port operations and impact iron ore shipments tied to the Pilbara mining supply chain.
- Unresolved negotiation dynamics - continued inability to reach agreement if employer representatives remain unauthorised or unwilling to bargain.