ETU WA Branch

05/06/2026

04/06/2026

A plan for the future.

The Financial Review is reporting on Sovereign Power.

ETU National Secretary, Michael Wright and Chief Economist at The McKell Institute , Alison Pennington addressed the National Press Club, making the case for Sovereign Power.

We need publicly owned renewable generation and Sovereign Power is just that.Australia has built and delivered electricity before, and we can do it again.

‘The private electricity market alone cannot power Australian industry. Our generation assets are increasingly owned by foreign governments with their own national interests’ - ETU National Secretary, Michael Wright.

You can watch the full Press Club address here -https://iview.abc.net.au/show/national-press-club-address/series/0/video/NC2611C019S00

04/06/2026

The FWC has awarded a 4.75% wage increase to Federal Awards and the minimum wage. This includes GTO apprentices who are on the Federal Electrical Contracting Award, payable from the first full pay period from 1 July 2026. If you are getting paid under the Award system, check your payslips and make sure you get this increase when due.

Any ETU member apprentices who think they are being ripped off by their employer, contact the ETU office on 9440 3522 or our apprentice organiser Rob De Graaf on 0475 575 551

It’s your money so don’t let employers short change you!

02/06/2026

🚨𝐈𝐍𝐏𝐄𝐗 𝐏𝐈𝐀 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝💪

After months of bargaining with INPEX, including a good strong dose of FWC actioned IBB, INPEX have proved, yet again, that they simply can’t meet a deadline. Vacillating is a word that comes to mind. They are definitely good at that!

PIA has commenced on the ILNG plant in Darwin and the CPF and FPSO offshore, after the Unions and members gave INPEX ample time to get busy over the long weekend to get some work done on outstanding claims, most of which are costed claims of course. We will give the IBB another shot, but PIA is probably all that INPEX will understand, because they love making tons of money more than anything else, and lately, they’ve been making sh*tloads of it, so PIA is a thorn in their fat wallet. You wouldn’t know how well they are doing, going by the small pot of budgeted funds apparently allocated to their workers in this EA negotiation. It seems incredible that INPEX simply cannot come to the realisation that their highly skilled workforce on these assets, are the very reason they make so much money, but appear so frugal when it comes to bargaining! INPEX are dizzy, out of touch and out of step and are in for a world of pain if they don’t do the right thing!

Ian Gill - Lead Organiser

01/06/2026

𝐁𝐇𝐏'𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐝.

In FY2025, BHP delivered more than $15 billion in underlying profit. Just three years ago, it pocketed nearly $45 billion in a single year. Those profits didn't come from boardrooms or shareholders. They were generated by the workers who keep the mines running, the processing plants operating, and the lights on.

Yet when it comes time to negotiate fair wages and conditions, BHP continues to resist comprehensive industry-specific Enterprise Agreements that would deliver consistent standards, secure conditions and a fair share of the wealth workers create.

Instead, BHP relies on a patchwork of agreements, labour hire arrangements and fragmented bargaining that leaves workers divided while company profits continue to soar.

The numbers don't lie:
⚒️ BHP profits have grown dramatically over the last two decades.
⚒️ Productivity per worker has surged.
⚒️ Workers are producing more wealth than ever before.
⚒️ Shareholders continue to receive billions in returns.

So why is BHP still refusing to bargain for comprehensive industry agreements that recognise the skills, risks and value of the workforce?

Why is BHP allergic to having enterprise agreements that represent what their workers actually get paid?

Why do electrical workers in the Perth metro and South West earn more that BHP FIFO workers whilst eating dinner with their family and sleeping in their own bed.

The workers who generate the wealth deserve a fair share of it.

BHP can afford industry-leading wages.
BHP can afford secure jobs.
BHP can afford strong conditions.

What BHP can't justify is telling workers to settle for less while profits remain measured in the tens of billions.

Our work. Their profits.

It's time for a fair share.

31/05/2026

🚨 𝐁𝐇𝐏 𝐓𝐑𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊 𝐈𝐍 𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐋 🚨

The proposed Mining Area C and South Flank Operations [Baseline] Agreement 2026 is not just a bad deal for direct BHP employees — it is a calculated attack on thousands of labour hire workers who have been underpaid and exploited for decades.

BHP knows exactly what it is doing.

Under Same Job Same Pay laws, labour hire workers can only access equal pay if there is an Enterprise Agreement in place at the host employer. That is why BHP is pushing this “baseline” Agreement packed with vague classifications and rates well below what workers are actually earning on site.

Why? Because a weak baseline Agreement gives BHP a shield.

It allows the company to argue that labour hire workers should only be matched to these watered-down rates instead of the real wages and conditions workers deserve. It is an attempt to undermine Same Job Same Pay before workers can even use it.

And let’s not forget — BHP already tried to kill Same Job Same Pay in the High Court… and LOST.

The High Court defeat was a massive win for workers across the country and a major blow to corporate giants trying to maximise profits built on labour hire exploitation. Now BHP is back with another strategy to protect its cheap labour system.

Workers need to see this Agreement for what it really is:
❌ A race to the bottom
❌ A sell-out of labour hire workers
❌ An attempt to lock in inequality for years to come

If this Agreement gets up, thousands of labour hire workers could remain trapped earning tens of thousands less for doing the same work beside permanent BHP workers.

An injury to one is an injury to all.

Be ready to:
Vote NO to a baseline agreement.
Vote NO to corporate greed.
Vote NO to labour hire exploitation.

Fight for real union EBA.

31/05/2026

⚡️ While most of us are sheltering from the wild weather, ETU members at Western Power are out on the front line keeping the lights on.

Working through challenging conditions, these skilled workers are responding to outages and restoring power to homes and communities across the state. Their commitment doesn't stop when the weather turns bad—they'll continue providing this essential service throughout the night and across Monday's public holiday.

A huge thank you to the crews braving the elements to keep our communities connected, safe and powered.

Stay safe out there, legends. Your hard work and dedication are appreciated by all of us. 💙⚡️

29/05/2026

What started with a single organiser has now grown into a dedicated team of four organisers covering the vast North West Pilbara region.

With a permanent home base now established in Newman, the ETU is better positioned than ever to support and respond to member issues quickly, and continue building strong workplace representation across the region.

Our North West team is hard at work negotiating agreements with major resource and construction companies, making sure members have a strong voice around wages, conditions, safety and job security in one of the toughest and most demanding industries in the country.

The Pilbara has always been built by working people prepared to look out for each other. It’s great to see that spirit continuing to grow, with more members getting involved and recognising the importance of a strong union presence in the North West.

If you don’t fight you lose!

Kevin O’Donnell
ETU WA North West Organiser

28/05/2026

⚠️𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭
Wespine Industries Industries latest roster changes are nothing more than a pay cut dressed up as a “lifestyle roster.”

After 18 months of failed attempts to ram through roster changes, management has finally landed on this gem:

8:7 / 8:5 “Shiftwork” – 45 ordinary hours
4 days, 4 nights, 7 off
Then 8 days on, 5 off

The company even calls it “shiftwork” — but conveniently avoids rostering public holidays so they don’t have to provide the conditions real shiftworkers are entitled to under the NES:
• No 5 weeks annual leave
• No shift allowance under the EBA
• No paid lunch breaks

Result? Workers end up 5 hours a week worse off than the current arrangement. That’s a wage cut — during a cost-of-living crisis. Plain and simple.

And spare us the spin about this being a “lifestyle roster.” It’s a FIFO-style roster without the FIFO money, conditions or respect.

Management have even stated they’re prepared to lose their electrical workforce and replace them with contractors while supervisors babysit the labour hire circus. Brilliant strategy — right up until the supervisors walk too.

This tells workers everything they need to know about how Wespine views skilled electricians: not as tradespeople who keep the mill running, but as disposable commodities.

What management is about to learn is that treating skilled workers like they’re replaceable is a fast way to destroy productivity, morale and retention.

The warning signs are already there. Other employers are asking whether redundancies are coming at Wespine because they getting a lot of interest from Wespine employees.

If anyone is looking for highly skilled electricians, feel free to give me a call and I will point them in your direction.

To any electricians looking for stable work with decent conditions: avoid Wespine until further notice.

What Wespine is doing may be legal — but it is morally bankrupt. And if this is how they treat their workforce today, workers should be asking what they’ll try to take tomorrow.

Simon Brezovnik – Organiser Kwinana & South West