BHP Faces Australian Union-funded Class Action Over Unlawful Public Holiday Duties

10:53 AM EDT, 09/10/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Australian labor group Mining and Energy Union, or MEU, is financing a class action against BHP Group (BHP.L, BHG.JO) to seek compensation for up to 7,000 employees who were "unlawfully required" to work during public holidays, according to a Thursday release. The case covers personnel hired by the mining giant's subsidiary BHP Operations Services, who were required to work during the Christmas and Boxing Day holidays at the Daunia mine in Central Queensland, Australia, in 2019. It follows a prior Federal Court ruling that established the holiday duties as a breach of the National Employment Standards. MEU noted that the lawsuit could "deliver millions in compensation" if successful, adding that workers who did holiday shifts between December 2019 and March 2023 at the Queensland coal mines, Pilbara iron ore operations, South Australian copper mines, and the Mt Arthur coal mine in New South Wales may be covered by the class action. BHP did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MT Newswires.