BHP Port Hedland workers to strike over wage dispute

Hundreds of workers at BHP's Port Hedland iron ore export terminal in Western Australia are set to stage an eight-hour strike on Thursday, July 16, following more than six months of failed wage negotiations. The planned industrial action, the first of its scale in the Pilbara region in decades, threatens to disrupt one of the world's most critical bulk commodity shipping hubs.

The Combined Ports Unions, comprising the Electrical Trades Union, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, and the Western Mine Workers Alliance, formally notified BHP of the work stoppage. More than half of the 450 workers at the terminal are expected to participate. Union officials stated that bargaining for a new four-year enterprise agreement began in October 2025 but has stalled, accusing BHP of employing delaying tactics despite significant company profits.

The strike is expected to disrupt approximately A$120 million worth of iron ore exports during the eight-hour stoppage. Port Hedland, which also handles shipments for Fortescue and Hancock Prospecting, exports roughly A$150 million worth of iron ore daily. The terminal shipped about 577 million metric tonnes of ore in the 2024-25 financial year.