BHP has been accused of using strikebreaking tactics similar to US tech behemoth Amazon by hiring alternative workers to avoid a major planned strike.
Up to 450 workers at the mining giant’s Port Hedland facility could go on strike as early as next week after union members overwhelmingly voted in support of the move.
One union head said he was disappointed to see BHP acting the way it is towards its workers, given how well Australia had treated it, and how much profit it had extracted from the nation.
“The company so far has been stonewalling us and (is) starting to engage in American Amazon-style tactics by bringing in strikebreakers,” Electrical Trades Union WA secretary Adam Woodage told media on Friday.
Labour hire firms have been approaching electricians for positions at Port Hedland, offering up to $93 an hour, according to a text message seen by AAP.
Unions are required to give five days notice before undertaking industrial action and say if the company doesn’t come to the table with a genuine offer, they will go ahead.
“If BHP do not come to the table with a decent offer at our pencilled-in meeting later this month, it’s highly likely that we will be giving notice, and we’ll be shutting down the port,” Mr Woodage said.
It could cost BHP up to $120 million in lost profit if Port Hedland facility remains out of action for just 20 hours, Mr Woodage said, adding such eye-watering figures would not deter workers.
“The only thing that these big businesses understand is when their profit margins are hit,” he said.
Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King said Pilbara workers should be paid higher wages and backed unions on resource projects.
“They deserve what they get, and they have every right to work together for their conditions, and they have a right to negotiate,” she told ABC radio in Perth.
She urged BHP and the unions to continue their talks and said because of the power imbalance between the two, sometimes workers needed to take action as part of the negotiations.
“No one likes industrial action, we know it’s disruptive,” she said.
Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA chief executive Aaron Morey said.
“These are amongst the best paid people in the country, if not the best paid,” he told reporters.
Mr Morey said historically pay disputes had been resolved successfully through negotiations without the need for industrial action.
“What’s different this time is that unions are agitating and itching for a fight,” he said.
According to Mr Woodage, his members can earn more working on projects in Perth than for BHP in the remote Pilbara.
An electrician working at Alkimos Seawater Desalination Plant in north Perth can earn $240,000 a year, he said, much more than they would with BHP.
Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union WA Secretary Steve McCartney, warned BHP against using contractors or alternative labour to undermine any industrial action.
“Members have had enough. They are demanding to be heard and they are demanding a fair agreement,” he said.
BHP confirmed it was negotiating a new enterprise agreement for Port Operations workers.
“In the event of union disruptions at our sites, we have strong contingency plans in place to protect our people and ensure safe, reliable operations can continue,” a spokesperson said.
The company did not comment directly on whether it was hiring alternative workers.
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