Electricians at BHP's key Australian iron-ore hub vote for work stoppages
Electricians maintaining diversified miner BHP's high-voltage power network in Western Australia's Pilbara region have overwhelmingly backed strike action, the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) said on Friday, escalating labour unrest less than a day after hundreds of workers at the miner's Port Hedland iron-ore operations walked off the job.
The union said 97.5% of the electricians voted in favour of work stoppages ranging from 30 minutes to 24 hours.
"High voltage workers are seeking transparent classifications, clear criteria for promotion, pay parity for employees performing the same work, and enforceable wages and conditions secured through a collective agreement," ETU said in a statement.
The vote follows months of limited industrial action, including overtime bans, and comes after more than a year of unsuccessful negotiations with BHP, the union said.
The ETU represents more than 70000 electricians, apprentices and electrical workers around Australia, according to its website.
"With further bargaining meetings scheduled for Port Operations next Tuesday involving the Fair Work Commission as an independent facilitator, and high voltage workers next Thursday, our focus remains on making constructive progress towards fair and reasonable agreements," BHP told Reuters in an email.
The miner said the involvement of the workplace tribunal, the Fair Work Commission, was "the most constructive way to achieve the best outcome".
Hundreds of workers at BHP's Port Hedland iron-ore operations held an eight-hour strike on Thursday after the parties failed to reach an agreement on terms for a four-year labour deal.
Port Hedland is a major artery through which BHP routes around $80-million of iron-ore a day, and the action represents the largest at BHP's operations in at least three decades, as unions look to secure a toehold in Australia's iron-ore regions.
