More Workers at Chevron Australia Vote to Allow Unions to Call Strikes -- OPIS

More unionized workers at Chevron's gas operations in Western Australia on Monday voted to authorize unions to call for protected industrial action if necessary, workers' unions said in a social media post.

Protected industrial action could include work stoppages or strikes if workers' demand for higher pay and better working conditions is not met.

Chevron's Australian unit operates two major liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Western Australia that would be affected by potential strikes - the 15.6 million metric tons (mt) per year Gorgon facility and the 8.9 million mt/year Wheatstone project.

The workers' unions the Offshore Alliance said in a social media post on Monday afternoon that 100% of the workers at the Wheatstone offshore platform voted for protected industrial action, which means the unions now have the full support from its members across all three Chevron Australia-operated facilities. The Offshore Alliance combines the Australian Workers' Union and the Maritime Union of Australia.

Last Thursday, 99% of the 450 workers at Chevron Australia's Gorgon LNG and Wheatstone downstream facilities voted in favor of taking protected industrial action. The ballot for the Wheatstone offshore platform workers closed on Monday afternoon.

"All 500 OA members on the three Chevron facilities are backing in [protected industrial action]," Offshore Alliance said in the social media post, adding it will file protected industrial action notices "shortly."

Following Monday's ballot results, a Chevron Australia spokesperson said the company is aware Wheatstone platform employees have voted in support of industrial action.

"We continue to work through the bargaining process as we seek outcomes that are in the interests of both employees and the company," the Chevron Australia spokesperson said.

Chevron Australia as the operator has a 47.3% stake in the Gorgon project. The joint-venture partners are ExxonMobil (25%), Shell (25%), Osaka Gas (1.25%), Tokyo Gas (1%) and JERA (0.417%). From its Gorgon project, Chevron Australia has sale and purchase agreements to supply about 4.5 million mt/year of LNG to Japanese customers and a further 4.4 million mt/year to Korean customers.

Chevron Australia has a 64.14% interest in the Wheatstone project. The joint-venture partners are Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co. (13.4%), Woodside Energy (13%), Kyushu Electric Power Co. (1.46%) and PE Wheatstone, part-owned by JERA (8%).

This content was created by Oil Price Information Service, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. OPIS is run independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

--Reporting by Trisha Huang, [e-mail]; Editing by Hanwei Wu, [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 28, 2023 10:39 ET (14:39 GMT)

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