Australia: BHP, Port Hedland unions fail to reach deal, more talks set

• • Wage talks remain inconclusive at Port Hedland

• • Further negotiations scheduled from 30 July

Mysteel Global: BHP and Combined Ports Unions, representing workers at the miner’s Port Hedland operations in Western Australia, failed to reach an agreement during the latest round of negotiations over wages and working conditions, but further talks are scheduled for the coming days.

The miner has been engaged in months-long negotiations with the unions over a four-year enterprise agreement covering approximately 450 workers at Port Hedland.

The most recent bargaining sessions took place on July 21 and July 28, following an eight-hour strike staged by port workers on July 16- the first significant industrial action in WA’s iron ore industry in more than two decades, as Mysteel Global reported.

Although the new talks ended without a final agreement, no further strike action has been announced. Both sides said they had made progress and agreed to continue negotiations.

Specifically, the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), one of the unions within the Combined Ports Unions, will hold separate talks with BHP on July 30, while broader negotiations with the full union group are set to resume on August 4.

Note: This article has been written in accordance with a content exchange agreement between Mysteel Global and BigMint.