BHP Billiton has cut 35 jobs from its Nelson Point operations in Port Hedland late last week as the company continues with its iron ore division efficiency drive which has thus far claimed the jobs of more than 500 workers.
According to Yahoo News, BHP has already cut 50 positions at its Nelson Point port and rail facilities at Port Hedland over the past month and is looking to let go further 100 workers before the end of October.
The mass redundancies at WA’s second-biggest iron ore producer come as a result of internal management reviews the company conducted to pinpoint areas of weakness and achieve maximal operational efficiency on every level.
A BHP spokeswoman yesterday confirmed a number of positions had been made redundant at Nelson Point last week and that further job losses were likely.
“BHP Billiton Iron Ore has spoken about its focus on safely increasing volumes and reducing costs through the more effective procurement of goods and services and people-related productivity initiatives,” she said.
“In coming months, some employees based in Port Hedland will be impacted by changes to the structure and size of the workforce. We will discuss these changes directly with employees, who will be offered redeployment opportunities as and where possible.”