Chevron workers in Western Australia have voted to endorse a series of proposed enterprise agreements after months of negotiations and industrial action.

October 31, 2023

Hundreds of Chevron workers at two major West Australian gas plants have voted in favour of a series of proposed wage agreements with the petrochemical giant.

Offshore Alliance says about 500 employees secured their key bargaining claims following months of negotiations and industrial action at the Gorgon and Wheatstone gas plants.

Australian Workers’ Union WA Secretary Brad Gandy says the workers didn’t blink during negotiations despite Chevron’s “hostile” approach to the arbitration.

“Throughout all stages of the campaign Alliance members were steadfast in their determination for an industry-standard enterprise agreement,” he said on Tuesday.

Chevron Australia confirmed the majority of employees had voted for the proposed enterprise bargaining agreement for frontline workers at the Wheatstone platform, Chevron’s downstream processing facility of the same name, and the Gorgon downstream processing facility.

“The agreements achieve sustainable, market competitive outcomes that are in the interests of our employees and the company,” a spokesman said.

The two facilities supply 44 per cent of WA’s domestic gas and revenue from the projects is estimated to be $76 million a day, according to research group EnergyQuest.

Protected industrial action started on September 8 and ended almost two weeks later when Chevron and the unions accepted the Fair Work Commission’s proposals on pay and conditions.

Workers threatened further strike action in early October after accusing Chevron of reneging on the in-principle deal on pay and conditions.

But that was suspended following further negotiations that have led to workers voting to endorse the agreements that include provisions to stop jobs being outsourced to contractors and lock in improved training.

Further strikes at the facilities, which supply about seven per cent of the global LNG market, could have disrupted global supplies and unsettled prices.

Chevron was the last major producer in the WA gas fields without an EBA after workers at Shell, Inpex and Woodside signed off on agreements of their own.

The Fair Work Commission is yet to approve the agreements.