BHP Group (ASX:BHP) is the largest company on the Australian Securities Exchange and a bellwether for the entire resources sector, so when industrial unrest threatens to disrupt its operations, investors pay attention. The mining heavyweight is now confronting the possibility of work stoppages at key Western Australian sites, with reports suggesting the company could forgo as much as $100 million in revenue a day if two unions proceed with strike action.

For a business whose cash flows underpin some of the most popular dividends on the ASX 200, that is a number large enough to move sentiment. The question for shareholders is straightforward but consequential: could a wave of strike threats…