Members of Australian LNG workers' union the Offshore Alliance (OA) that are employed by companies owned by engineering firm Altrad are undertaking protected industrial action at Chevron Australia's two LNG facilities.
About 140 gas maintenance workers began rolling stoppages and work bans today because of dissatisfaction with negotiations for a new enterprise bargaining agreement, the OA said.
The workers include technicians, electrical and instrumentation technicians, scaffolders, riggers, painters and plasterers working for Altrad at the Chevron's 8.9mn t/yr Wheatstone LNG and 15.6mn t/yr Gorgon LNG facilities in Western Australia state, as well as Wheatstone's offshore platform.
Chevron Australia is aware employees have started industrial action, a spokesperson said. But the firm does not anticipate any impact to LNG and domestic gas production or any critical business activities, given the nature of the work undertaken by Altrad and mitigations in place. Altrad was contacted for comment, but has yet to respond.
Workers are demanding union rates and conditions on every offshore and onshore oil and gas facility, the OA said, promising to push back against baseline workplace agreements presently in place.
The dispute comes almost 12 months after Chevron reached an agreement with the OA — formed by the Australian Workers' Union and Maritime Union of Australia — on three deals regarding pay and conditions at the LNG terminals and upstream facilities.
