MEDIA ALERT – 10:00AM, FRIDAY 12 JUNE – ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION –
BAYSWATER
What
Electrical Trades Union officials will address the media following a vote by workers which endorsed the undertaking of work stoppages at BHP’s Port Hedland bulk export terminal, following months of stonewalled negotiations.
See release below for detail
Who
ETU WA Secretary Adam Woodage
Where
Inside the ETU WA headquarters, 3 Focal Way, Bayswater
When
10:00AM, FRIDAY 12 JUNE, 2026
EDITORIAL QUERIES Darren Rodrigo – 0414 783 405
BHP workforce endorses stoppages at Port Hedland
- A majority of workers has voted in favour of stoppages at Port Hedland
- The vote follows more than six months of stonewalling by BHP
- The company has hinted that it will employ strikebreakers at the port
THURSDAY 11 JUNE – A ballot on work stoppages at the nation’s largest iron ore export terminal has been comprehensively endorsed by workers who have spent more than six fruitless months attempting to negotiate an agreement with BHP, Australia’s largest company.
The ballot endorsed stoppages of between 30 minutes and 24 hours, which workers may elect to take following a five-day notice period.
The vote was conducted through an application to the Fair Work Commission after more than six months of failed negotiations where BHP representatives were unwilling to negotiate, not authorised to do so, or both.
The workers at the port were hired on wildly disparate individual contracts, with basic conditions at the sole discretion of the company and its managers.
They are seeking an agreement with clear criteria for classification, enforceable conditions and parity for workers at the port with the same skills and experience.
ETU WA secretary Adam Woodage said workers were frustrated at the company’s refusal to negotiate, and that industrial action was the only way forward.
“We want an industry that is safe, fair and productive – nothing more, nothing less,” Mr Woodage said.
“People working at the ports have been hired on wildly disparate individual contracts. Basic working conditions are at the sole discretion of the company and its managers.
“We want to sit down and make an agreement that is fair, transparent and enforceable. 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.
“This company is not the corporate citizen it used to be. They are traveling down the same path as QANTAS – attacking the country that supports them, the people that power their operations and the communities that enrich them.
“It is concerning and disappointing to see the biggest company in Australia using Amazon-style tactics to stonewall in negotiations and signalling in the media that they would rather bring in strikebreakers than negotiate a fair agreement.
“We want a company that is strong, that is capable, that can sit down and make agreements. But the actions we have seen from BHP recently show a company that is divided, tone-deaf and unable or unwilling to act in its own best interest.
“My message to BHP is this: We all benefit from a safe, fair and productive industry – the company, the workers, the state and the nation.
“Unions have a long history in the Pilbarra, supporting their members to do the hard work and hard yards that deliver massive benefits for employers and the community alike. In the interests of all of us, it is not too late to come to the table and make a fair deal.”
CONTACT Darren Rodrigo – [email protected] – 0414 783 405
Contact details:
Darren Rodrigo - 0414 783 405
