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• 2 min de lectura
Workers at global mining giant BHP's facilities in Port Hedland, Australia, will seek labor arbitration after both parties failed to agree on the terms of a new wage pact, according to the Combined BHP Ports Unions. Port Hedland, in Western Australia, is the world's largest iron ore export hub and the main maritime gateway for BHP's Pilbara operations. The union, which represents some 450 operators and maintenance workers at the complex, will seek a "declaration of intractable bargaining," which empowers the regulator, the Fair Work Commission, to set the terms of the agreement bindingly. The union and the company have been negotiating for more than nine months, with almost weekly meetings over recent months facilitated by the regulator, to determine a four-year wage agreement. In August, workers halted activities for two days, in what constituted the first major union action at the facilities in a quarter of a century. "BHP is unwilling to negotiate an agreement that reflects the specialized skills, extreme conditions, and significant personal sacrifices of the people who generated over USD 13 billion in profits for the company this year," the union stated in a press release. "Our goal remains to achieve a fair and reasonable agreement," a BHP spokesperson said in response to a request for comment. The miner indicated that it submitted its latest offer a week ago and added that keeping negotiations active is the fastest way to reach an outcome. For most workers, BHP has offered a 17% wage increase over the four years of the agreement's validity, which includes a transitional payment of USD 17,802, paid over two years, as well as an increase in shift allowances. The union argues that nearly 40% of the workforce would be disadvantaged under that proposal. BHP shares closed down 2.2% at USD 42.19, compared to a 0.9% decline in the benchmark index.
