INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS – AUSTRALIA

Workers back strike option at BHP’s Port Hedland hub

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 7-Jul-26

The Australian Workers Union’s ballot on protected industrial action has been supported by about 97 per cent of its members at BHP’s iron ore export hub in the Pilbara. The AWU voted to join with several other unions in threatening to take industrial action at Port Hedland; they will be required to provide five days’ notice if they opt to proceed with work bans. BHP shipped 290 million tonnes of iron ore via Port Hedland in 2025-26, and says it could lose about $100m worth of revenue per day if the port is shut down due to industrial action.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION

Union strike at BHP port averted

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 24-Jun-26

BHP held talks with the leaders of four unions at its Melbourne headquarters yesterday, where it put forward a draft enterprise agreement. The unions represent about 240 of the 450 workers at BHP’s iron ore export hub at Port Hedland, who are currently employed via individual contracts. The unions have released a joint statement advising that while some progress was made during the talks, BHP has not yet addressed the core concerns of their members. The Electrical Trades Union and the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union recently voted to take industrial action if BHP does not negotiate a deal, while the Australian Workers’ Union and the Mining & Energy Union intend to hold a ballot.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION, MINING AND ENERGY UNION

Unions putting squeeze on BHP

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 14 : 11-Jun-26

The leaders of the Electrical Trades Union and the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union expect their members to vote in favour of industrial action at BHP’s port operations in Western Australia. The outcome of the ballot will be known later today, and halting iron ore shipments from Port Hedland for up to 24 hours would cost BHP about $126m. The Australian Workers’ Union and the Mining & Energy Union are also threatening to join the strike action, while BHP is facing separate industrial action by high-voltage electrical workers at its Pilbara operations.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION, MINING AND ENERGY UNION

Status quo has shifted, union tells big miners

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 29-Apr-26

The Mining & Energy Union’s Western Australian state secretary Greg Busson contends that major iron ore miners in the Pilbara have had the upper hand in negotiations with unions for too long. He claims that the big miners cannot handle the push to re-unionise the Pilbara via the industrial relations reforms that were enacted during the current federal government’s first term in office. BHP is already dealing with industrial action by high-voltage workers who are members of the Electrical Trades Union, while the need to negotiate with unions over changes to its Pilbara rail fleet has stalled the rollout of battery-electric locomotives.

CORPORATES
MINING AND ENERGY UNION, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION

‘Urgent meeting’: ABC peace deal over pay on brink of collapse

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Original article by Calum Jaspan
The Age – Page: Online : 15-Apr-26

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance has accused the ABC’s management of backing away from a key clause in the in-principle pay deal that was struck in late March and aimed at ending an industrial dispute. The clause granted automatic pay grade increases to ABC employees on band 5 of its pay scale; however, the MEAA says the ABC now claims that the clause will only apply to performance appraisals that have been completed since 2023. MEAA members wil discuss the possibility of further industrial action today, following the recent 24-hour strike that disrupted the ABC’s broadcast schedule.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE

Seismic 40pc pay ruling set to reshape teen jobs

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 1-Apr-26

Coles, Woolworths and McDonald’s are expected to be amongst the large companies that will be affected by the Fair Work Commission’s decision to abolish junior pay rates for young adults. The landmark ruling will apply to more than 500,000 employees aged 18-20 across the fast food, retail and pharmacy sectors; they will be progressively shifted to adult wages over the four years from December, resulting in them receiving pay rises of up to 42 per cent. The Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association has likened the decision to the awarding of equal pay for women in the 1970s. However, the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s CEO Andrew McKellar warns that employers in the affected sectors are likely to hire staff who are older and have more experience.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED

ABC slightly sweetens its pay offer to staff

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Original article by James Madden
The Australian – Page: 5 : 1-Apr-26

Jocelyn Gammie from the Community & Public Sector Union says it will recommend that members vote in favour of a revised pay offer from the ABC. The improved pay deal has also been welcomed by the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, a week after members of the two unions staged a 24-hour strike at the public broadcaster. The ABC has proposed a pay rise of 10.5 per cent over three years, which represents an 0.5 per cent improvement on its initial offer; however, the broadcaster has removed a $1,000 bonus from the negotiating table.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SECTOR UNION, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE

Workplace laws reset for AI job losses: union

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 11-Mar-26

The Australian Services Union has urged a "fundamental reset of workplace laws to protect workers’ time". The ASU has used its submission to an inquiry into the National Employment Standards to call for employees who lose their job due to artificial intelligence to be given at least six months’ paid notice; it contends that this would give them time to upskill, train for new roles within their organisation or look for a new job. The union has also called for the maximum working week to be set at 30.4 hours over four days, with no loss of pay.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SERVICES UNION

Unions demand five weeks of annual leave

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 4-Mar-26

The ACTU will lobby the federal government to increase full-time workers’ annual leave entitlements to five weeks a year. ACTU secretary Sally McManus contends that Australians already do an average of 4.5 weeks of unpaid work every year, and getting back one of these weeks will result in a better rested and happier workforce. She adds that the current standard of four weeks’ annual leave for full-time workers has not changed since it was introduced in 1974. The ACTU also wants regular shift workers’ annual leave to be increased from five weeks to six, and an increase in the casual loading from 25 per cent to 27.5 per cent to compensate people who do not receive annual leave.

CORPORATES
ACTU

Union push to halt work in extreme heat

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 4-Feb-26

ACTU president Michele O’Neil contends that climate hazards such as extreme heat should be treated in the same way as other workplace health and safety threats. The ACTU wants Safe Work Australia to introduce a national safety standard to allow staff to stop work due to extreme heat. Construction labourers, airport ground staff, horticulture workers and miners are amongst those who are most at risk due to extreme heat. A Safe Work Australia spokesman says it is considering a range of proposals regarding extreme heat management as part of a best practice review that is slated to be completed in mid-2026.

CORPORATES
SAFE WORK AUSTRALIA