More BHP Billiton iron ore jobs to go in Port Hedland

BHP Billiton says some staff will be made redundant from its Port Hedland iron ore operations but won’t confirm reports jobs have already been axed.

An earth mover receives iron ore from a surface miner in the mine pit at Fortescue Metals Group Ltd.'s Cloudbreak operation in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, on Monday, July 25, 2011. Fortescue Metals Group, Australia's third-biggest producer of iron ore, will release their full-year earnings on August 19. Photographer: Carla Gottgens/Bloomberg

BHP Billiton won’t confirm reports jobs have been axed at its Nelson Point operations in Port Hedland, but says some staff in the Pilbara town will be made redundant in coming months.

The ABC said on Wednesday it understood 35 people got the chop last week.

But a company spokeswoman said it had already flagged its goal of “reducing costs through the more effective procurement of goods and services and people-related productivity initiatives”.

“In the coming months, some employees based in Port Hedland will be impacted by changes to the structure and size of the workforce,” she said in an emailed statement.

“We will discuss these changes directly with impacted employees, who will be offered redeployment opportunities as and where possible.”

BHP Billiton has cut hundreds of jobs from its iron ore business this year, including 170 positions at the company’s Mount Whaleback iron ore mine in the Pilbara and 100 roles at its iron ore division headquarters in Perth.

Originally published as More BHP Billiton iron ore jobs to go in Port Hedland