Unions and Inpex Reach Agreement After Strikes

ABC Rural

Topic: Oil and Gas

Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 11:15 am

Inpex's Ichthys LNG Plant is near Darwin Harbour.

In short:

Workers at Inpex have gone back to work after the company and unions made a deal.

This deal comes after months of talking and weeks of strikes that could have stopped LNG exports.

What's next?

The deal still needs to be approved by union members, who will vote on it soon.

Unions and Inpex have reached a deal after tough talks and strikes, and all industrial action will stop.

Workers had been on strike since early June, which threatened gas exports to Asia.

A deal was made on Tuesday night, and work started as usual on Wednesday, with a union vote coming soon.

The deal includes a 3.75% annual pay rise and better job security, which was a big issue.

The deal has not been confirmed by Inpex, and they have been asked for comment.

Over 400 workers are at the Ichthys site, which gets gas from Western Australia and sends it from Darwin.

Many Inpex workers fly in and out, but the company has an office in Darwin.

Workers are represented by the Electrical Trades Union and the Offshore Alliance.

Inpex tried to stop strikes in the Fair Work Commission but was rejected.

The Fair Work Commission said strikes would stop production but not hurt the economy.

Some ships going from Darwin to Asia were delayed by the strikes.

A lobby group said pay rises would increase labor costs by 50-60% and make average salaries over $500,000.

Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 11:15 am

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