澳大利亚BHP公司在西澳皮尔巴拉地区Port Hedland的港口工人宣布升级工业行动，计划于8月8日进行24小时禁止装船，随后于8月9日实施24小时停工[1]。这是继本月早期8小时罢工后的进一步措施，反映了工人与公司在薪酬待遇谈判中的分歧[1]。
BHP已向工人提出16%的加薪方案[1]，但工人以珀斯海水淡化厂24万澳元年薪为基准进行对标[1]。Port Hedland每天出口约1.5亿美元的铁矿石，其中BHP占约1.2亿美元[1]。公司估算每日24小时停工的成本高达1.2亿澳元[1]。定于下周二的谈判会议将在公平工作委员会的协助下进行[1]。
联邦反对党领袖泰勒表示不想看到澳大利亚回到"不好的旧日子"[1]。
Port workers at BHP's facilities in Pilbara, Western Australia have announced plans to escalate industrial action following earlier labor disputes over pay negotiations [1]. The workers are scheduled to implement a 24-hour ban on ship loading on August 8, 2024, followed by a full 24-hour work stoppage on August 9, 2024 [1]. These actions mark an intensification beyond an eight-hour strike held earlier in the month [1].
The wage dispute centers on compensation packages, with BHP having tabled a 16 percent pay increase offer [1]. Port Hedland, where the bulk of the action is concentrated, exports approximately 150 million US dollars worth of iron ore daily, with BHP accounting for roughly 120 million US dollars of that volume [1]. The company has estimated that a 24-hour work stoppage would cost it 120 million Australian dollars [1]. Workers have pointed to salaries at Perth's desalination plant, which offer 240,000 Australian dollars annually, as a benchmark for their negotiations [1].
Federal opposition leader Taylor expressed concern about the escalating dispute, stating he does not wish to see a return to the "bad old days" [1]. Negotiations are scheduled to resume the following Tuesday with assistance from the Fair Work Commission [1].