Workers at Chevron’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Western Australia have voted to resume strikes, with unions accusing the U.S. oil major of failing to honor a deal that temporarily ended strikes last month.
Night-shift workers at Chevron’s Gorgon and Wheatstone facilities have voted to restart strikes, according to the Offshore Alliance, a coalition of two unions. This decision follows a similar move by their colleagues in a meeting less than 24 hours earlier. The majority of workers at these facilities had previously voted in favor of striking.
Brad Gandy from the Offshore Alliance expressed disappointment in Chevron’s actions, stating that the company had not negotiated in good faith over the past year, leading to this renewed industrial action.
Before strikes can commence, Chevron must receive seven business days’ notice, which the unions intend to file on Monday.
Chevron, on the other hand, stated that it is working with all parties to finalize a deal based on the recommendations made by Australia’s industrial arbitrator, the Fair Work Commission (FWC), in September. However, no talks are currently scheduled with the company, according to a union representative.
A pay and conditions agreement, mediated by the FWC in September, ended weeks of strikes at the two facilities, which account for approximately 7% of global LNG production. Despite this agreement, the parties have been unable to reach an agreement on the final contract’s wording.
If no deal is reached, the matter could return to the commission, which had initially scheduled hearings on whether to intervene and end strikes when an 11th-hour agreement was reached. These hearings were postponed for four weeks in late September to allow time for drafting an agreement. Chevron would need to provide seven days’ notice if they decide to resume the matter.
