CANBERRA: Oil and gas giant Chevron has slashed more than 1,200 jobs at its massive Gorgon LNG project in Western Australia in the lead up to Christmas. Around 530 electrical workers on Gorgon were laid off last week, while another 700 positions, including those of boilermakers, pipe fitters, welders and trades assistants, were axed in the last two weeks, The Australian newspaper reported on Wednesday.
A Chevron spokesman was not immediately available for comment. US-listed Chevron, which is building the Gorgon and Wheatstone liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in WA, has said it expects to slash its global workforce by between 6,000 to 7,000 employees and cut capital and exploration spending by billions of dollars over the next few years, in an effort to combat low oil prices.
Last month, the company said Australia would be one of the key areas for job cuts. It had notified employees at its head office in Perth of pre-Christmas staff cuts.
Earlier this week, global oversupply concerns dragged Brent crude oil prices down to their weakest level in more than 11 years. Brent futures fell as low as $US36 a barrel, compared to its price of more than $US100 a barrel last year.
