A last-minute truce has been struck between Chevron and workers at the company’s Western Australian LNG plants, where a dispute had threatened to disrupt global gas supplies.

Unionised workers at Chevron’s Wheatstone and Gorgon facilities on the Pilbara coast late on Thursday agreed to terms brokered by the industrial umpire to end a pay dispute.

The deal puts an end to strikes that started almost two weeks ago at the plants supplying about seven per cent of the global LNG market, which have roiled global gas prices.

The Offshore Alliance union, which had been leading negotiations, said it will work with Chevron to finalise the drafting of an agreement and members will soon cease current industrial action.

The Fair Work Commission (FWC), which has the power to impose a settlement, said it “strongly recommended” parties accept its proposals to end stoppages by about 500 workers that began on September 8 at the Wheatstone platform, its downstream processing facility of the same name, and the Gorgon downstream processing facility.

Gorgon and Wheatstone supply 44 per cent of WA’s domestic gas and daily revenue from the projects is estimated at $76 million a day, according to research group EnergyQuest.

Commissioner Bernie Riordan wrote to the parties recommending the industrial action be called off with a breakthrough imminent after “countless hours at the negotiating table”.

“These discussions have resulted in widespread agreement on the majority of provisions of the proposed enterprise agreements,” he wrote.

“It would be a pity and very frustrating to simply throw out these agreed positions and have the parties return to their respective logs of claims for any future arbitration.”

As part of a proposed settlement, Mr Riordan recommended lifting the upper limit on automatic progression, including a job security clause and awarding employees a $7000 travel allowance.

The union had been scathing of Chevron management over its proposed enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA), which it claimed fell well below industry standards.

Chevron had been the last major producer in the WA gasfields without an EBA after workers at Shell, Inpex and Woodside signed off on agreements of their own.

Chevron, which maintains it has consistently engaged in meaningful negotiations and offered market competitive pay and conditions, earlier said it will accept the terms of the deal.

“After considering the recommendation, Chevron has accepted the recommendation to resolve all outstanding issues and finalise the agreements,” a Chevron spokesperson said on Thursday.

“We have informed the commissioner of our position and written to the unions and other employee bargaining representatives confirming our acceptance.”

– AAP