Australian union declares protected industrial action at all three Inpex Liquefied natural gas facilities

In a Facebook post published on Tuesday, the 'Australian Offshore Alliance' union announced that 'protected industrial action' has begun at 'all three' of Inpex's Ichthys liquefied gas facilities located in Australia.

The Offshore Alliance, comprising the Maritime Union of Australia, the Australian Workers' Union and the ETU, said the action was taken after Fair Work Commission-facilitated bargaining ?failed to resolve key claims on pay and conditions.

The union stated in the post that "despite significant progress made in FWC-facilitated negotiations with INPEX last week, they have fallen short in a number fundamental claims."

Our INPEX members have had enough.

It added that the group would escalate its industrial action until INPEX agreed to fair industrial results.

The union groupsaidon May 18 that it had served the Japanese gas giant with a strike notice ?at the 9.3-million-metric-ton facility after talks over pay and conditions broke down.

As required by Australia's Fair Work Commission, 326 out of 346 union members voted in April to strike. This was pending six days?negotiations?in May.

The union group announced on May 26 it had withdrawn the strike action due to progress in bargaining.

Australia is Japan's largest LNG supplier. The country could face a supply crisis due to the Iran War. (Reporting and editing by Shreya Biwas; Reporting by Rajasik Mukherjee)

(source: Reuters)