Chevron to open ballot Oct 26 on proposed enterprise agreements for Australia LNG facilities

Chevron Australia said Oct. 20 that a ballot on its proposed enterprise agreements will open Oct. 26, following a recent in-principle agreement with the unions that had averted industrial action at its Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG facilities from Oct. 19.

"The ballot opens at 5:00 am Perth time on Thursday, Oct. 26, and closes at 7:00 pm on Saturday, 28th," a Chevron Australia spokesperson told S&P Global Commodity Insights.

The ballot comes following the start of the seven-day access period Oct. 19 after Chevron Australia had presented its proposed enterprise agreements to employees at its Gorgon and Wheatstone facilities in the Oct. 18 evening.

It followed Chevron Australia's in-principle agreement with the Australian Workers' Union (AWU) earlier in the week that had led to the call off the unions' industrial action from Oct. 19 at its Gorgon, Wheatstone Platform and Wheatstone Downstream facilities in Western Australia.

"If voted up, the agreements will then be submitted to the Fair Work Commission for approval," another Chevron spokesperson said Oct. 18.

The FWC, the country's industrial tribunal, declined to comment on the ongoing matter.

The in-principle agreement between Chevron Australia and the unions on the proposed enterprise agreement was reached after Fair Work Commissioner Bernie Riordan had assisted several rounds of discussions between the parties until Oct. 16.

The Offshore Alliance, an alliance between the Australian Workers' Union (AWU) and the Maritime Union of Australia, had earlier said Oct. 15 that 91% of its members supported starting protected industrial action at the Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG facilities for the second time from Oct. 19.

Chevron had previously requested the FWC commissioner's assistance to conclude drafting enterprise agreements for Gorgon, Wheatstone Platform and Wheatstone Downstream, based on clarifications to implement the commissioner's Sept. 21 recommendation, which was accepted by Chevron and the unions.

This was also after the unions called off a Sept. 22 PIA at Chevron's Wheatstone and Gorgon facilities, following the endorsement of a recommendation from the FWC commissioner to finalize enterprise agreements.

The OA started its PIA at Chevron's onshore and offshore LNG facilities Sept. 8 and said its members would stop work completely for two weeks from Sept. 14.

The Gorgon project comprises a three-train, 15.6 million mt/year LNG facility and a domestic gas plant, while the Wheatstone project has a nameplate capacity of 8.9 million mt/year of LNG and a domestic gas plant.