Jindalee Lithium (ASX:JLL) secures Oregon union backing for McDermitt Lithium Project workforce plan

Jindalee Lithium has moved to strengthen the development pathway for its McDermitt Lithium Project in southeast Oregon through a formal labour alignment with a key statewide union body, adding an operational layer to a project already defined by scale and long mine life in its November 2024 Pre Feasibility Study.

The company’s wholly owned US subsidiary has signed a Letter of Understanding with the Oregon Building Trades Unions, targeting structured access to skilled construction labour ahead of any build decision.

Highlights

• Letter of Understanding signed between HiTech Minerals Inc. and Oregon Building Trades Unions covering the McDermitt Lithium Project
• McDermitt Pre Feasibility Study estimated approximately 1,000 direct construction jobs and approximately 600 direct permanent operational jobs
• Expected operational life of the project exceeds 60 years under the PFS parameters
• OBTU represents 31 affiliate member trade unions and tens of thousands of skilled trades workers across Oregon
• Parties will work toward a binding Project Labour Agreement for construction within OBTU jurisdiction

The agreement sits at the intersection of project execution and workforce certainty.

According to the release, the November 2024 Pre Feasibility Study estimated that development of McDermitt could generate approximately 1,000 direct construction roles during the build phase and approximately 600 direct permanent operational roles across an operating life exceeding 60 years.

Against that backdrop, access to skilled labour is framed as critical to delivery, particularly in a US jurisdiction where large scale resource builds compete for qualified trades.

The Oregon Building Trades Unions acts as a statewide umbrella organisation comprising 31 affiliate member unions and representing tens of thousands of skilled workers.

Under the Letter of Understanding, the body has agreed to support the project and to work in good faith toward a mutually acceptable binding Project Labour Agreement.

The structure envisaged would require that, following final project approval and within a reasonable period before construction, general contractors enter into a Project Labour Agreement aligned with North America’s Building Trades Unions approval processes and existing OBTU jurisdictional settings.

Management positions the step as both practical and strategic in workforce planning terms. As Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Ian Rodger states,

“McDermitt has the potential to be one of the largest projects developed in rural Oregon and we are delighted to be partnering with the OBTU to help develop the skilled workforce required to responsibly advance the Project for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

That comment links project scale with labour structure and frames union alignment as part of responsible advancement rather than a late stage negotiation overlay.

Jindalee notes that its US subsidiary holds the McDermitt project and describes it as one of the largest lithium deposits in the US and of global significance, while also referencing that the PFS confirmed scale, long life and low cost production potential.

The company also highlights engagement with US government agencies including the Department of Energy in prior disclosures, reinforcing that permitting, workforce and policy engagement are running in parallel streams rather than sequence.

For advanced US critical minerals projects, labour agreements are increasingly becoming part of readiness indicators alongside technical and economic studies.

In this case, Jindalee Lithium has added a formal union pathway to its McDermitt development framework, indicating that workforce access, contractor structure and approval aligned labour agreements are being addressed ahead of any final construction decision, rather than left to post approval negotiation.

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