BHP and union fail to reach agreement in Port Hedland negotiations

The parties failed to make progress after union representatives rejected the enterprise agreement proposal presented by the company at the 15th meeting. Unions at the port plan to declare the negotiations deadlocked and refer the matter to the Fair Work Commission for a final determination.

Union representatives argued that BHP’s proposal would leave approximately %40 of the employees covered by the agreement worse off compared with their existing conditions. BHP, meanwhile, stated that its proposal aims to simplify the wage structure for approximately 450 employees involved in the ongoing dispute.

BHP stated that the deadlock process could take up to 18 months. As Port Hedland is one of Australia’s major iron ore export hubs, the progress of the negotiations is being closely monitored by the market.