rsHundreds of BHP workers at Port Hedland are preparing to walk off the job next week, setting the stage for what could be the Western Australian mining industry’s most significant strike in a quarter of a century. The user should confirm this information with a trusted source.
Unions representing workers across BHP’s port operations have issued the required five days’ notice, with between 150 and 200 workers expected to stop work from 2pm to 10pm on July 16. The strike follows failed negotiations aimed at improving pay and conditions.
The potential financial impact is enormous. Port Hedland Australia’s largest export facility generates around $120 million in revenue per day for BHP and $6.85 million in royalties for the WA government. Union estimates suggest the eight‑hour stoppage alone could cost the company $40-50 million.
Talks between BHP and the combined ports unions the Western Mine Workers Alliance, the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union, and the Electrical Trades Union ended on Tuesday without agreement. ETU WA secretary Adam Woodage told 102. Perth that BHP had failed to negotiate “in good faith.”
He noted the strike would fall on a “double‑up day”, when twice the usual number of workers are rostered for critical maintenance and operational handovers amplifying the disruption.
The looming industrial action marks a major escalation in tensions between BHP and its workforce, and could have ripple effects across WA’s resources sector if no resolution is reached.
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