MELBOURNE (Dow Jones)--Australia's competition regulator has...

MELBOURNE (Dow Jones)--Australia's competition regulator has granted a group of
junior iron ore miners the right to collectively bargain for access to the Western
Australian railways of BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP.AU), Rio Tinto Ltd. (RTP) and Fortescue
Metals Group Ltd. (FMG.AU).
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issued Thursday a draft
determination granting the members of the North West Iron Ore Alliance the right to
collectively negotiate terms and conditions for haulage and access to the rail networks
of the three bigger miners.
"Participation is voluntary for both iron ore producers and the service
providers," the ACCC said in a statement.
The ACCC is continuing to seek submissions from interested parties ahead of a final
decision on the matter.
The North West Iron Ore Alliance is made up of Atlas Iron Ltd. (AGO.AU), Brockman
Resources Ltd. (BRM.AU) and FerrAus Ltd. (FRS.AU).