CVX Chevron Corporation

By Rhiannon Hoyle

U.S. energy giant Chevron said it has accepted a recommendation from Australia's workplace arbiter, as it seeks to end a labor dispute affecting two giant natural-gas operations.

In a statement late Thursday, a spokesperson for Chevron said the company had been provided with and accepted a recommendation from a Fair Work commissioner to resolve outstanding issues with workers at its Gorgon and Wheatstone operations, without providing further details.

"We have informed the commissioner of our position and written to the unions and other employee bargaining representatives confirming our acceptance," the spokesperson said in the statement.

A spokesperson for Offshore Alliance, a partnership of two local unions, couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

In written remarks earlier this week, the union coalition's spokesman, Brad Gandy, said negotiations before the commissioner had been "useful and resulted in some concessions on both sides." However, an offer made by Chevron at the end of the talks had failed to meet the terms and conditions union officials have been seeking, he said.

Workers at the operations recently began industrial action, jolting global gas markets. Australia rivals Qatar as the world's largest exporter of LNG, and the Chevron facilities are among Australia's largest, accounting for about 7% of global LNG supply, according to Wood Mackenzie, a commodities research and consulting company.

Write to Rhiannon Hoyle at rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 21, 2023 19:25 ET (23:25 GMT)

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