The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) has significantly reduced the scale of planned industrial action at BHP’s Port Hedland operations, withdrawing maintenance workers from a scheduled 48-hour strike.
The decision, made just days before the action was set to begin, means the walkout will proceed with only a fraction of the originally threatened workforce, sparing the terminal from a total shutdown.
The union cited financial pressure on its members as the primary driver for the reversal.
A majority of maintenance staff voted to stand down from the strike to avoid the double loss of pay associated with the industrial action.
This internal division within the union ranks marks a sharp pivot from the earlier unified front that had threatened to halt operations at the critical export hub.
For markets, the de-escalation reduces the immediate risk of supply disruption from one of Australia’s largest iron ore export terminals.