"Unions, BHP claim wins as workers return from Port Hedland strike action", 10 August 2026

As unionised BHP staff return to work after 48 hours of industrial action, the strike's full impact on the mining giant and Australia's largest export port remains contested.

Members of the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU), and the Australian Workers' Union (AWU) downed tools over the weekend at the miner's operations in Port Hedland, 1600km north of Perth in WA's Pilbara.

It represented the latest escalation of the combined port unions' dispute with the miner, which has dragged on for months.

While the unions claimed the weekend's dispute caused more disruption than last month's eight-hour stoppage, BHP and official sources indicated minimal impact overall.

Unlike the July strike, there was no demonstration or picket line, with unions telling their members to simply stay home.

Union sources said all but three eligible staff at BHP's port facility took part in the actions over Saturday and yesterday, with three of the miner's iron ore loaders operating at significantly reduced capacity.

… A spokesperson for port operator Pilbara Ports said it had not anticipated any broader disruption.

… The miner and unions will return to the Fair Work Commission next week, for the 12th meeting between the parties since the dispute began.

BHP has committed to tabling an updated offer, labelling the ongoing industrial action as unnecessary and disruptive.

"Our approach will deliver greater pay consistency across the workforce while locking in industry-leading pay and conditions," a BHP spokesperson said.

"With another meeting scheduled and an updated proposal to come, we have made significant progress with the commission's assistance."

Unions said that movement was the direct result of the strike action, with ETU state secretary Adam Woodage arguing it was beginning to achieve recognition of "uneven" and "extreme" conditions…