Workers at Chevron’s Wheatstone platform have voted on Monday to take industrial action as part of an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.
“With a 100 percent ‘Yes’ vote for protected industrial action on Chevron’s Wheatstone platform, we have now got 100 percent support for PIA from members across all three Chevron facilities. Our members are locked and loaded and ready for PIA,” the Offshore Alliance, which includes the Maritime Union of Australia and Australian Workers’ Union, said on Monday via its social media.
Unions representing downstream workers at the Chevron-operated Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG projects have previously voted to authorize a strike, the alliance said.
This allows the workers to go on strike with a seven-day notice period if they don’t reach an agreement with Chevron.
Notices filed
The Gorgon LNG plant on Barrow Island, Western Australia, has three trains and a production capacity of some 15.5 mtpa, while the Wheatstone LNG plant near Onslow has a capacity of about 8.9 mtpa.
Chevron operates both of these LNG terminals.
“The Offshore Alliance will be fighting from the front with PIA to secure an industry standard EBA,” it said, adding that all 500 its members on the three Chevron facilities are backing in the action.
“PIA notices will be filed shortly as will members lining up to vote ‘No’ against Chevron’s third rate EA proposal on the Gorgon and Wheatstone downstream facilities,” it said.
LNG Prime invited Chevron to comment on the matter.
“We’ve received notices for protected industrial action at our Gorgon and Wheatstone facilities for activities commencing Thursday, September 7,” a Chevron Australia spokesperson said later on Monday.
“While we don’t believe that industrial action is necessary for agreement to be reached, we recognize 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,” the spokesperson said.
“We will also continue to work through the bargaining process as we seek outcomes that are in the interests of both employees and the company,” the spokesperson added.
Woodside reached a deal
Earlier this month, Woodside and Chevron said they were in talks with unions as they worked to avoid strikes that could affect operations at the North West Shelf, Gorgon, and Wheatstone LNG projects.
Woodside and unions representing its workers at North West Shelf offshore gas platforms have reached an in-principle agreement on Wednesday last week.
The workers also endorsed the in-principle agreement after that, according to the alliance.