Staff at Chevron Australia's LNG facilities will strike to protest stalled pay and conditions negotiations, with the Offshore Alliance (OA) union promising rolling stoppages, bans and limitations that will escalate each week until the company agrees to its claims.
The OA notified the company on 28 August it will begin work bans, limitations and other strikes, protected under Australian labour law, from 7 September. The notice follows a 28 August vote in which Wheatstone platform workers agreed to join downstream staff in authorising industrial action.
The Wheatstone platform services Chevron's 8.9mn t/yr Wheatstone LNG near the town of Onslow in Western Australia's (WA) Pilbara region. The 15.6mn t/yr Gorgon LNG is located 110km north of Onslow on Barrow Island. Workers at both onshore facilities backed strikes late last week.
"Our members want some say over rosters to ensure they are family friendly, job security so they can't be replaced by temporary labour hire employees and to reach agreement on other matters relating to overcycle, training standards, travel arrangements and rates of pay," OA spokesman Brad Gandy said on 29 August.
"Offshore Alliance members at Chevron would prefer to have this matter resolved without the need for industrial action but Chevron has given them little indication that it can be."
The OA said Chevron management last week put two proposed agreements out to vote without the union's endorsement, saying it expects these non-union agreements to be overwhelmingly rejected by staff.
Chevron Australia confirmed receipt of the notices for industrial action at Wheatstone and Gorgon, promising the company would continue to work through the bargaining process.
"While we don't believe that industrial action is necessary for agreement to be reached, we recognise employees have the right to take protected industrial action and we will continue to take steps to maintain safe and reliable operations in the event of disruption at our facilities," a spokesperson for Chevron said.
The announcement comes days after Australian independent Woodside Energy and the OA agreed a deal to avert strike action at the 16.9mn t/yr North West Shelf LNG project.
