An Australian mining union is funding a class action against (ASX: BHP) that could cover up to 7,000 workers, the latest labour dispute for the world’s biggest listed miner as it separately faces its first major industrial action in a quarter century.
The Mining and Energy Union (MEU) said the class action seeks compensation for mineworkers who were unlawfully required to work on the Christmas and Boxing Day holidays at the Daunia mine in central Queensland in 2019.
The suit could “deliver millions in compensation if successful,” the union said in a statement. The hearing for the case is set for November 9, 2026.
A federal court had earlier ruled that BHP’s Operations Services breached the National Employment Standards in its rostering of workers over that period.
In November 2025, a court ordered the mining giant to compensate 85 Queensland coal workers employed by its labour-hire arm after finding they had been unlawfully required to work on Christmas Day and Boxing Day in 2019 without a reasonable right to refuse.
MEU General President Grahame Kelly said the union may pursue further class actions on behalf of other groups of mineworkers who were unlawfully required to work on public holidays.
The miner is also engaged in protracted wage negotiations with unions at Port Hedland, where around 150 workers staged the first major industrial action in more than two decades by walking off the job. The talks remain unresolved.
“The particular case isn’t what’s important, the pattern is,” said Hersh Oberoi, global research director at Balfour Capital, adding that a series of labour-related disputes was increasing pressure on BHP’s employment model and strengthening unions’ bargaining position.
“In terms of compliance, the solution is administrative and not costly. The greater challenge is the cumulative impact of repeated labour disputes on BHP’s relationship with unions.”
BHP did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
(Reporting by Shivangi Lahiri and Kumar Tanishk in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Devika Syamnath)
