Read this article in:
9 January, 2006
Contract maintenance workers at BP’s Kwinana refinery, who are members of ICEM affiliate Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), won a five-week strike in mid-December 2005. The 86 workers, employed by United Group, won their full pay demands of nearly A$10 per hour over three years, which will give them parity with BP’s maintenance workers.
The strikers along with other United Group contract workers at both the Alcoa refinery in Wagerup and the Ravensthorp nickel project were targeted by the Howard government’s watchdog Building and Construction Commission for conducting unprotected strike actions under the government’s new and regressive Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act.