Australian LNG workers escalate strike actions at key Chevron sites
(Bloomberg) – Liquefied natural gas (LNG) workers at key Chevron Corp. sites in Western Australia have begun ramping up a campaign of industrial action in a dispute that has roiled global energy markets.
Staff started a program of escalated action Thursday after beginning partial strikes on Sept. 8, and will ratchet up stoppages over the “coming days and weeks,” the Offshore Alliance, a group representing two major labor unions, said in a Facebook post.
It isn’t clear how many hours a day the workers are on strike. Chevron said it has been given notice that workers could commence rolling 24-hour stoppages from 6 a.m. Perth time Thursday.
“Our focus is on maintaining safe and reliable operations in the event of disruption, and we will continue to manage the range of uncertainties that industrial action may present,” Chevron said in a statement.
Union members at the Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG facilities had previously flagged plans to begin all-day stoppages for a period of as long as two weeks from Sept. 14 if the sides failed to reach an agreement on pay and other conditions.
