The Zhitong Finance App learned that the Joint BHP Billiton (BHP.US) Port Trade Union said on Tuesday that at the Port Hedland operating base in Western Australia, workers had previously rejected a salary plan proposed by BHP Billiton. The trade union has now put forward a counterproposal to this, paving the way for the next round of labor negotiations scheduled to be held on September 8.

A BHP Billiton spokesperson said in an email statement: “We are continuing to make progress towards reaching an agreement that will focus on key concerns of employees.”

The trade union pointed out that the original BHP Billiton proposal, which the workers rejected before the meeting, “would have exacerbated existing inequalities among employees,” and added that it is already planning to hold talks with the Australian Fair Work Commission on September 15.

According to information, BHP Billiton has been negotiating with a trade union representing about 450 operators and maintenance workers over a new pay agreement for several months. Currently, BHP Billiton employs more than 800 people in Port Hedland.

The union said workers are demanding binding guarantees of pay and working conditions. Workers believe that given the actual difficulties of extreme heat, long hours of work, and long periods of time away from their families, their pay should not be lower than that of urban workers.

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