Some employees of Chevron’s Wheatstone liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Australia have offered to work during industrial action set to begin on Thursday in a bid to avert domestic supply disruptions, a union alliance said on Tuesday.
The Wheatstone project in Western Australia consists of two LNG trains, or liquefaction units, and a domestic gas plant that delivers gas via pipeline.
The domestic plant needs repairs to return to full production and members of the Offshore Alliance have offered to work through planned industrial action to avoid disruptions, the coalition of two unions said in an emailed statement.
“Members are not seeking to negatively impact users of gas in Western Australia by engaging in protected industrial action against Chevron,” Offshore Alliance spokesperson Brad Gandy said in a statement, calling the offer a show of good faith.
Chevron did not immediately respond to a Reuters query about whether staff had also offered to work at the two LNG trains.
Without a deal between both parties in mediated talks now underway, up to three weeks of industrial action, ultimately escalating to full strikes, will begin on Thursday at Wheatstone and the nearby Gorgon LNG facility.
(Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)