Workers at Australian mining firm BHP's Port Hedland iron ore export operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia will strike for eight hours today after the company and employees failed to reach an enterprise agreement (EA) during their ninth bargaining meeting.
Around 200 workers will stop work from 14:00 to 22:00 AWST (06:00 to 14:00 GMT), the combined BHP port unions — the Western Mine Workers Alliance (WMWA), Electrical Trades Union (ETU) and Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU) — said on 16 July. The WMWA is a partnership between the Australian Workers Union (AWU) and the Mining and Energy Union (MEU) Western Australian branches.
The strike has been timed to disrupt the loading of two scheduled iron ore shipments, Argus understands. The economic loss from two bulk carriers failing to leave Port Hedland is estimated at around A$53mn ($37mn) in export revenue and A$4mn in royalties, according to the Western Australian (WA) state government's Chamber of Minerals and Energy (CME).
CME chief executive Aaron Morey urged unions to call off the strike on 15 July and warned that a growing union presence in the Pilbara could affect the competitiveness of Australia's iron ore exports.
Federal resources minister Madeleine King said she hoped for a last-minute breakthrough in bargaining but supported the unions' right to strike.
"If it comes to the withdrawal of labour, then that's what they're entitled to do. And indeed, they've followed all the procedures through the Fair Work Commission," she told ABC Perth on 15 July.
BHP has been negotiating a new EA with its Port Hedland maritime workforce since October 2025, which will cover around 450 employees, excluding contractors.
The unions last met with BHP on 14 July to discuss wages and working conditions but failed to reach an agreement. Their next enterprise bargaining meeting is scheduled for 21 July, the combined port unions said on 14 July.
Port Hedland is the world's largest bulk iron ore export port and is a key export hub in BHP's WA iron ore supply chain. The firm produced 291.2mn t of iron ore on a 100pc basis from its WA operations in the fiscal year from July 2025-June 2026, according to its latest full-year operational review released on 16 July. All of BHP's WA iron ore is exported through the port of Port Hedland.
BHP did not respond to Argus' request for comment at the time of publication.
