After 30 years on the outer, unions could soon return to the Pilbara. Here’s why that’s a big deal
- Written by Alexis Vassiley, Lecturer, School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University

A battle is underway on the mine sites in Western Australia’s remote Pilbara region. Unions are keen to get back into the iron ore industry after decades on the outer. Mining companies are desperate to keep them out.
At Rio Tinto site Paraburdoo, where both residential and fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) workers are...