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30 July, 2001CEPU and other unions' members have been locked out for six weeks over issues of collective bargaining and forced weekend work.
AUSTRALIA: The IMF-affiliated Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union (CEPU) is currently engaged in a dispute with Nestlé Australia over the issue of collective bargaining and forced weekend work. Since June 19, says the union, the transnational food company has locked out all food and maintenance workers -- members of CEPU and other unions -- at its Echuca site, located in southeastern Australia on the border between the states of Victoria and New South Wales.
The basis for the lockout at this plant, which produces dairy swirl ice cream and yoghurt for the Australian market, originated with the company's decision to introduce a 7-day operation. Thus, the present workweek, which is Monday to Friday, with non-voluntary weekend work arranged on a compulsory regime, has made a significant change in the lifestyle of not only the workers but also their families.
CEPU reports that other issues central to the dispute are pay rates for those working the new schedule, as well as the expiry date of the collective agreement. There are currently six Nestlé sites in Victoria, of which three have a common expiry date of June 2003. The members at the Echuca plant also want their agreement to expire on that date so as to negotiate on a true collective basis with the other three, but the company, wanting to keep Echuca isolated, is opposed. The union says that part of their drive to have common expiry dates is to reverse the enterprise-by-enterprise approach which allows companies like Nestlé to lock out workers individually and thus increase company bargaining power.
The IMF is calling on its affiliates, in particular those with Nestlé units, to contact Peter Tighe, national secretary of CEPU, to see how you can help support the workers in Echuca in their struggle with Nestlé. Tighe can be reached by phone on: (61/2) 9597-4499, fax: (61/2) 9597-6354 or e-mail: [email protected]
The basis for the lockout at this plant, which produces dairy swirl ice cream and yoghurt for the Australian market, originated with the company's decision to introduce a 7-day operation. Thus, the present workweek, which is Monday to Friday, with non-voluntary weekend work arranged on a compulsory regime, has made a significant change in the lifestyle of not only the workers but also their families.
CEPU reports that other issues central to the dispute are pay rates for those working the new schedule, as well as the expiry date of the collective agreement. There are currently six Nestlé sites in Victoria, of which three have a common expiry date of June 2003. The members at the Echuca plant also want their agreement to expire on that date so as to negotiate on a true collective basis with the other three, but the company, wanting to keep Echuca isolated, is opposed. The union says that part of their drive to have common expiry dates is to reverse the enterprise-by-enterprise approach which allows companies like Nestlé to lock out workers individually and thus increase company bargaining power.
The IMF is calling on its affiliates, in particular those with Nestlé units, to contact Peter Tighe, national secretary of CEPU, to see how you can help support the workers in Echuca in their struggle with Nestlé. Tighe can be reached by phone on: (61/2) 9597-4499, fax: (61/2) 9597-6354 or e-mail: [email protected]