The AMWU together with the Australian Steel Institute have launched a campaign to save WA's skilled engineering and fabrication jobs.
The campaign launch was made in response to the Barnett Government allowing WA’s big resource projects to send their skilled work offshore.
AMWU WA Secretary Steve McCartney said the Barnett Government had set a low bar for the resources industry, with the sending of skilled work offshore now becoming the norm.
"In 2009, Colin Barnett signed an agreement with Oakajee Port and Rail that will see the steel fabrication and engineering for that project done in China," Mr McCartney said.
"At about the same time, Mr Barnett promised that projects like Gorgon would fill up WA workshops for years.
"However, with Chevron following Mr Barnett's Oakajee lead and sending nearly all of Gorgon engineering and fabrication offshore too, it is hard to see how Mr Barnett's promise is going to be kept."
Mr McCartney said the WA Jobs From WA Resources campaign wanted the State Government to pass legislation to ensure local industry was given all the work it could perform.
"We all understand that our major resources companies comply with the laws of the many countries in which they operate," he said.
"Other countries like Canada and the United States have successfully demanded skilled work be performed locally before giving approvals to mine or awarding civil contracts.
"What we want is for our State Government to work as hard as governments around the world in getting the best deal for WA from the use of our natural resource.
"We have one shot in the locker - our natural resources are finite and, if we don't use them to train our kids, then we won't have a skilled workforce to create new industries and opportunities once the mining boom is over.
"We want WA Jobs From WA Resources - what can be made here, should be made here."
The WA Jobs From WA Resources campaign will feature television, radio and print advertising, as well as a dedicated campaign website and Facebook page.
The first phase of the campaign will culminate in a joint industry-union community march on Parliament House on 15 March. The rally will see, for the first time in WA, local business owners walk side-by-side up St George's Terrace with local engineers, metal trades people and concerned members of the community.