Chevron Australia LNG workers reject company offer, work stoppages still on track
SYDNEY, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Chevron workers at two of Australia's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities have rejected a company pay and conditions offer, a union alliance said on Friday, and planned work stoppages will go ahead next week pending another deal.
Workers at Chevron's Gorgon LNG facility and its Wheatstone downstream LNG facility in Western Australia rejected the company's offer, according to a Facebook post by the Offshore Alliance, a coalition of two unions. Chevron confirmed the result minutes later in an emailed statement.
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"The vote was part of the bargaining process and an important step which enabled employees to share their views," a Chevron spokesperson said.
Chevron and the Offshore Alliance are locked in a dispute about pay and conditions that has roiled global gas markets leery about interruptions to Australian LNG exports at a time of tightening supply.
The Offshore Alliance is planning to begin industrial action on Sept. 7 if a deal is not struck. Workers could down tools for up to 11 hours and stop performing certain tasks until at least Sept. 14 based on the alliance's current plan.
"Ballot results show that they (Chevron) are out of touch with OA members and haven’t listened to a word spoken in their discussions with members, Reps and the Offshore Alliance," the union alliance said in a Facebook post on Friday.
A similar dispute between the union alliance and Woodside Energy Group at a nearby LNG facility resolved in a deal without unions following through on threats of strikes.
(Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Alasdair Pal and Tom Hogue)