Chevron workers endorse agreements, strike averted

Hundreds of workers at three major Western Australian gas plants have endorsed a series of enterprise agreements rather than proceed with threatened industrial action.

Chevron employees had planned to resume protected action on Thursday after saying the petrochemical giant had welched on an in-principle deal struck last month.

Chevron Australia insists it has worked hard to finalise the labour agreements to provide market-competitive remuneration and conditions to workers at Gorgon, Wheatstone Platform and Wheatstone Downstream.

However, AWU WA secretary Brad Gandy said Offshore Alliance members had shown incredible patience with the oil and gas producer.

"It's sad Chevron seems unable to do an honest deal and we hope this can now be put to rest but if Chevron tries to alter the deal again our members will obviously have no choice but to consider taking protected industrial action," he said.

Gorgon and Wheatstone supply 44 per cent of WA's domestic gas and revenue from the projects is estimated to be $76 million a day, according to research group EnergyQuest.

A strike at the three gas plants would potentially disrupt global supplies and unsettle prices.

Workers and union officials made the call to accept the draft agreements at a mass meeting on Wednesday.

Later on Wednesday, a Chevron Australia spokesperson said it welcomed the in-principle agreement with the Australian Workers' Union on proposed Enterprise Agreements for employees at their Gorgon and Wheatstone facilities.

“Following in-principle agreement, we will provide the proposed Enterprise Agreements tonight to the relevant employees to consider, opening the required seven-day access period, with a ballot to be held next week," they said.

“If voted up, the Agreements will then be submitted to the Fair Work Commission for approval.

“The AWU has advised Chevron Australia that industrial action by its members, which was planned to commence tomorrow, will no longer go ahead.”