Australia’s BHP, unions fail to reach wage deal

Aug 18 (Reuters) – BHP Ports Unions said on Tuesday that it had failed to reach an agreement with BHP on a wage deal for workers at Port Hedland in Western Australia.

The parties said they will meet again on August 25, a spokesperson for the union added.

“In today’s meeting, BHP presented a proposal that does not adequately address the concerns of the people whose hard work generated that $13 billion profit,” the union said.

BHP did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

BHP reported better-than-expected full-year earnings of $13.20 billion earlier in the day and declared its highest annual dividend in four years.

Some BHP workers at Port Hedland, the world’s largest iron ore export hub, staged a second planned stoppage earlier this month, marking the first major industrial action at the site in a quarter century.

BHP CEO Brandon Craig, however, said he did not expect the industrial action to impact the company’s performance.