Workers at Chevron's Gorgon and Wheatstone liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in Australia plan a total strike for two weeks from Sept. 14, a union alliance said on Tuesday, a significant escalation on disputes over pay and conditions. The decision comes amid mediation talks hosted by the Fair Work Commission (FWC), Australia's industrial arbitrator, which began on Monday and is scheduled to run every day this week, and ahead of brief work stoppages called by the union from Thursday. "The Offshore Alliance is escalating protected industrial action to demonstrate that our bargaining negotiations are far from 'intractable'," the union alliance said in a Facebook post. Chevron did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Australia is the world's biggest LNG exporter, and the ongoing dispute has stoked volatility in natural gas markets, as traders worry about the risk of long-term disruption.