BHP lies exposed by union lobbying

Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 22-Jul-26

BHP held further Fair Work Commission-mediated talks with a coalition of unions yesterday, in the wake of last week’s eight-hour work stoppage at its Port Hedland iron ore export hub. A BHP spokesman has indicated that its focus is on making constructive progress towards "fair and reasonable" workplace agreements. The industrial action is being headed by the Electrical Trades Union, which has written to large institutional investors and proxy advisers to warn them of "material risks" arising from BHP’s approach to industrial relations in the Pilbara.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Unions to stage fun fair at port strike

Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 15 : 15-Jul-26

BHP and a coalition of unions held talks in the Fair Work Commission yesterday, in a bid to avert industrial action at the resources group’s Port Hedland iron ore export hub. However, the unions have advised that they intend to proceed with protected industrial action tomorrow, after failing to reach an agreement with BHP. Members of the Electrical Trades Union, the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union and the Australian Workers’ Union will go on strike for eight hours. The unions have ruled out establishing a picket line at BHP’s Port Hedland facilities and will not prevent non-union ‘strikebreakers’ from accessing the site. They will instead hold a family-friendly protest, which will include a barbecue and face painting.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Workers back strike option at BHP’s Port Hedland hub

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

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

Hancock axes hundreds of jobs

Original article by Mark Di Stefano, Mark Wembridge
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 17-Jun-26

Hancock Prospecting has declined to comment on the extent of job cuts at its iron ore mines in the Pilbara. However, the private company of billionaire Gina Rinehart is believed to have shed between 300 and 500 jobs, which would comprise up to 10 per cent of its workforce. Sources have confirmed that affected workers were offered generous redundancy packages. Hancock’s Roy Hill and Atlas Iron divisions were merged under the Hancock Iron Ore banner in mid-2025; their consolidation was aimed at streamlining Hancock’s operations across the Pilbara, which comprises the Roy Hill, Sanjiv Ridge, Mount Webber and Miralga mines; the company is also constructing the McPhee Creek mine and hopes to build another mine at Mulga Downs.

CORPORATES
HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, ATLAS IRON LIMITED, HANCOCK IRON ORE

Unions putting squeeze on BHP

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

Fortescue ore under scrutiny by China

Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 17 : 3-Jun-26

Fortescue will replace its 60 per cent iron West Pilbara Fines product with a new low-grade product known as Fortune Fines, which has just 55 per cent iron content. Fortescue revealed plans to sell the Fortune Fines product in October, and shipments could begin as soon as July. Fortescue has acknowledged reports that the state-backed iron ore buyer China Mineral Resources Group has told some of its steel mill customers to ask questions about the Fortune Fines product, which is aimed at prolonging the life of Fortescue’s iron ore mines in the Pilbara.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE LIMITED – ASX FMG, CHINA MINERAL RESOURCES GROUP COMPANY LIMITED

Fortescue to pay $150m native title bill

Original article by Mark Wembridge
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 12 & 16 : 13-May-26

Federal Court judge Stephen Burley ruled on Tuesday that Fortescue must pay $150 million to the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation in what is the the largest native title compensation order in Australian history. The ruling relates to Fortescue’s Solomon iron ore mining hub in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, with the Corporation claiming that Fortescue has worked the Solomon hub since 2013 without permission or agreement with it. The Corporation had been seeking $1.8 billion, while Fortescue said in a statement that "it accepts that the Yindjibarndi people are entitled to compensation".

CORPORATES
FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, FORTESCUE LIMITED – ASX FMG, YINDJIBARNDI ABORIGINAL CORPORATION

MinRes braces for diesel price pain

Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 17 : 1-May-26

Mineral Resources has upgraded its full-year production guidance for its mining services, iron ore and lithium divsions, including its Onslow Iron, Wodgina and Mount Marion projects. The company has also maintained full-year cost guidance across its divisions, although it noted that the rising cost of diesel fuel due to the Iran war began to have an impact on its operations. It is estimated that Mineral Resources uses about 12,000 litres of diesel fuel each day, while it also requires aviation fuel for its fleet of airplanes for its ‘fly-in, fly-out’ workforce.

CORPORATES
MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN

Status quo has shifted, union tells big miners

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