The agreements will now be forwarded to the labor tribunal for approval.
A majority of Chevron Australia Pty. Ltd.’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) workers formally agreed Monday to labor agreements that would put to rest threats of strike, the company and the workers’ union said.
“Chevron Australia is pleased to confirm the proposed Enterprise Agreements for frontline field operations employees at our Gorgon and Wheatstone gas facilities have been supported by the majority of employees in a vote”, the Chevron Corp. subsidiary said in a statement emailed to Rigzone on Monday.
The enterprise agreements (EAs), which in Australia represent terms agreed on by workers and their company laying out minimum conditions of employment, cover Gorgon, Wheatstone Downstream and Wheatstone Platform, all in Western Australia.
The EAs will now be forwarded to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) for final approval.
During the bargaining process, the Offshore Alliance union complained of conditions below industry standards and highlighted Chevron Australia was the only major oil and gas operator in Western Australia that had no EAs. The company meanwhile argued demands by the workers were above market levels.
The union, a coalition between the Australian Workers’ Union and the Maritime Union of Australia, went on so-called protracted industrial action September 8 but on September 25 it said it would suspend the strike after Chevron Australia agreed to an FWC recommendation and union members also agreed to the employment terms put forward by the tribunal.
But workers threatened to return to their strike accusing Chevron Australia of reneging on the government recommendation. The company, however, insisted it remained committed to the recommendation and that it only had a different interpretation from the union on some parts of the recommendation, including daily allowance or reimbursement and accommodation.
The union agreed October 17 to suspend its plan for strike resumption and endorse EAs with the company, paving the way for the ballot.
In Monday’s statement announcing ballot results for the EAs Chevron Australia said, “The Agreements achieve sustainable, market competitive outcomes that are in the interests of our employees and the company”.
Confirming the results in a statement emailed to Rigzone Tuesday, the Offshore Alliance said, “Theagreementsdeliver members secure jobs, fixed rosters, career progressionand significant improvements in pay and conditions of employment”.
The union had been negotiating for EAs for Gorgon and Wheatstone Down since the start of 2023 and for Wheatstone Platform since mid-2022, the statement recalled.
“But the genesis of these negotiations was far longer”, it noted.
“Members at the Wheatstone Platform first contacted the Offshore Alliance in 2019 seeking anindustry standardEBA with Chevron.
“In 2020, the need for the protection of a union negotiated enterprise agreement became crystal clear whenChevron used COVID to purge their workforce, assisted by the appalling one sided contracts employees were on.
“WhenOffshore Alliancemembers at Gorgon and Wheatstone Downstreamalso expressed interest in an industry standard EBA [enterprise bargaining agreement], the Offshore Alliance secured the commencement of negotiations for these two facilities as well, eventually representing98 percentof the workers covered by the EBAs, which gave the Alliance and the workersthe necessary collective strength to bargain with Chevron on an equal footing”.
The workers at the three facilities have now “secured all of their key bargaining claims”, the union statement added.
Detailing the contents of the EAs, Offshore Alliance spokesperson Brad Gandy said in the statement, “Subjectivebehavioral standards, which havepreviouslyprevented members progressing through the classification structure classificationare gone”.
“Career progressionwill now be competency based”, Gandy said.
“40 percent rosters are now locked infor all employees, which means those coerced by Chevron during COVID to move to a 50 percent roster will[be] transferred to their previous, more family friendly roster.
“Chevron employees now haveunion representation, arbitration of disputes in the Fair Work Commission, improved overcycleprovisionsand significantly enhanced training provisions, including additional payment, allowances and the right to refuse additional work”.
In Monday’s statement, Chevron Australia said, “Following the vote, we will proceed to have the Agreements approved by the Fair Work Commission”. It did not provide a specific date for submission to the FWC.
https://www.rigzone.com/news/chevron_australia_lng_workers_vote_up_employment_terms-31-oct-2023-174527-article/
