Australian maintenance workers strike Woodside's North West Shelf LNG Plant

After failed negotiations with the contractor UGL, maintenance workers at Woodside Energy’s North West Shelf and Pluto LNG export plant in Australia went on strike Wednesday.

Offshore Alliance is a 'grouping of the Australian Maritime Union and the Australian Workers Union. It said that workers took action because UGL had offered a enterprise agreement below industry standards. The union stated in a social media post on Wednesday that the result of UGL’s inability negotiate or accept industry standards was protected industrial action. It added that the action would continue?until an enterprise agreement is?finalised.

The Karratha Gas Plant is Australia's second largest and oldest LNG project. It produces 14.3 million metric tonnes of liquefied gas a year.

Pluto LNG, a nearby facility, produces 4.9 millions metric tons of LNG per year.

Woodside said it would continue to?work with UGL Management, but ultimately it was up to their workers to resolve the dispute.

Liz Westcott, CEO of UGL, said this at an industry event in Adelaide.

We've made sure that we understand the situation and how to adapt. We have always prioritized working closely with our employees, and continue to do so. It's just a part of life. Offshore Alliance claimed in previous social media posts that the contractor used third-party employees in an attempt to 'drive wages down. The union group organised previous strike votes at Woodside's Pluto 2 plant against contractor Bechtel. The unionised workers of Inpex's Ichthys Liquefied Natural Gas plant in northern Australia have also given notice to strike on May 27. This could disrupt operations as well as exacerbate the global supply crisis caused by the Middle East conflict. Helen Clark reported from Adelaide, Christine Chen from Sydney and Lincoln Feast edited the story.

(source: Reuters)