Adds statement from Inpex in paragraph 4
The Offshore Alliance (OA) union will halt strikes planned for the 9.3mn t/yr Inpex-operated Ichthys LNG project for two days from 27 May due to advances in negotiations.
Strike action planned for 27 and 28 May will be paused due to progress made in bargaining talks, an OA spokesperson said today.
Staff at the project, which drills gas in the offshore Browse basin in the Timor Sea and pipes it to the city of Darwin for liquefaction, had planned to start striking from 27 May, protesting what the OA said was slow progress on pay and conditions agreements.
The firm is actively engaging in good faith in the interest-based bargaining process, focusing on maintaining safe operations at Ichthys and reaching a fair and equitable agreement with employees, Inpex' senior vice-president Bill Townsend said in a statement.
Japanese companies hold around 5.9mn t/yr of publicly disclosed long-term supply deals for the project, which can also produce 1.65mn t/yr of LPG and about 100,000 b/d of condensate at peak rates.
