In 1999, I started my journey in the art and skills of industrial campaigning when BHP Iron Ore decided to de-unionize its fully unionized sites in Newman and Port Hedland. This was a turning point that helped me to fully comprehend the skill set required to organize non-union labour to push back against multinational mining companies in Queensland Coal and the Hydrocarbon industry on the West Coast. In 1999, as a senior delegate, the Pilbara Unions were given the challenge to either fight back or face extinction as the Rio Tinto Unions did in the late 80s and early 90s across the Pilbara and Queensland. The rank-and-file members accepted the challenge and embarked on a mission to challenge the power of BHP.

During my employment with the Miners from 2005 to 2020, I was involved in organizing non-union Rio Tinto mines, Qld labour-hire workers, and conducted campaigns across BHP, Glencore, Anglo, and Rio-operated Coal Mines. These campaigns led to organizing BHP Operations Services employees in 2018-2019.

From 2020 to the present day, I have been a part of the Offshore Alliance industrial organizing team, and we have had some significant battles with Tier 1 Oil and Gas operators such as Chevron, Shell, INPEX, Woodside, and Santos, and Maintenance contractors like UGL, Monadelphous, Altrad, AGC, Ventia across the Oil and Gas industry on the West Coast. The model we follow is based on an aggressive and militant approach, to build strong union density in the workplaces with the intent of taking protected industrial action to secure Union industry-standard enterprise agreements.

All the campaigns are based on enterprise agreements, which involve organizing workers who are currently under baseline agreements, expired agreements, or common law contracts onto Union industry-standard enterprise agreements. This industrial organizing approach has allowed the union to cover all sectors of the oil and gas industry, including ROV Techs, ACIP & NDT Inspections, Catering, Paramedics, Deck Officers, Engineers, Helicopter engineers, Offshore Drilling, and Supervisors. I am excited to meet everyone at the 2024 ULIO Conference.

Appearing at ULIO 2024 in: