The number of days lost to industrial disputes has more than tripled sparking fears businesses will be under increasing pressure from strike action.
More than 37,000 working days were lost across the country through strikes or lockouts in the September quarter, data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday shows. That’s up from 10,200 in the three months ending June 30.
The level is still well below historic highs but the surge has coincided with a run of major battles.
Woodside Energy nailed an eleventh-hour deal with workers at the North West Shelf Venture’s offshore platforms, while Chevron was embroiled in weeks of strike action at its Gorgon and Wheatstone operations.
Miners Citic Pacific and BHP, port operator DP World, chicken producer Ingham’s and defence contractor BAE have been among the high-profile recent industrial relations fights — although not all have escalated to strikes or lockouts.
WA lost 1900 days to industrial action in the three months, the eighth-highest quarterly level reported in the past 10 years.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA chief executive Chris Rodwell said unions had been emboldened by the Federal Government’s “radical industrial relations agenda”.
Laws to back multi-employer bargaining were passed in 2022, while earlier this month the Government got backing for plans to hit labour hire.
“(The Federal Government’s) IR laws provide yet more levers for the unions to hold WA businesses hostage at a time of acute skills shortage,” Mr Rodwell said.
“We’re seeing increasingly outrageous claims from unions across a range of sectors, who are deploying increasingly militant tactics around the negotiating table.”
While big businesses had seen high-profile industrial battles, Mr Rodwell said the effects would be felt through the supply chain.
“Ultimately small and family businesses wear much of the impact, at a time when they’re facing an acute cost of business crisis,” Mr Rodwell said.
Federal Employment Minister Tony Burke and the Australian Council of Trade Unions did not respond to requests for comment.