Electrical workers supporting BHP's iron ore operations in Western Australia have launched a strike ballot following a year of negotiations over an inaugural workplace agreement.
Voting on the ballot — which covers 60 BHP staffers — closes on 25 March, the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) said in a statement on 12 March. Workers will vote on authorising a range of actions, including on-call and overtime bans, 15-minute to 48-hour work stoppages, meeting bans and more, the ETU added.
The ETU will be able to launch work stoppages and other forms of industrial action if the ballot is successful. Workers will not take actions that threaten the safety of workers or the community, the union said.
BHP has strong contingency plans in place to ensure that safe and reliable operations can continue in the event of union disruptions at its sites, a company spokesperson told Argus on 12 March.
The company's focus remains on reaching an outcome that maintains pay and conditions while supporting safe, productive, and sustainable operations, the spokesperson added.
BHP's electrical workers are currently employed on individual contracts. ETU workers at the company are seeking a workplace agreement that protects existing conditions and provides additional transparency around pay and job classifications, among other things, the union said.
The ETU's ballot launch comes just under a year after the majority of workers at Rio Tinto's 25mn t/yr Paraburdoo iron ore complex backed collective bargaining.
The number of Australian workers involved in industrial disputes rose to 112,500 in 2025 from 89,100 in 2024 and 46,000 in 2023, recently released data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show.
