Chevron, unions again fail to reach deal to halt Australian LNG strikes

THE latest round of talks between Chevron and unions at its two liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Western Australia ended on Wednesday (Sep 20) without a deal, a Chevron spokesperson said, leaving the fate of strikes at the major export facilities in the hands of a workplace tribunal set to meet on Friday.

Chevron Australia said despite “meaningful negotiations” this week, unions continued to ask for terms well above industry standards.

“The ongoing lack of agreement reinforces our view that there is no reasonable prospect of agreement between the parties,” the Chevron spokesperson said.

The Fair Work Commission will meet on Friday to decide whether to intervene and halt the strikes, which began on Sep 8 and escalated to two 24-hour work stoppages over the weekend.

The Commission ordered Chevron and unions into talks this week ahead of the hearing in the hope of hammering out a deal over pay and conditions.