5:45am Tuesday
November 14th
Thompson's Roller Shutters
6 Henderson Street Turrella, Sydney
Next to Turrella Station (turn left at Stn exit)

Keep up the fight against Work Choices and Racism in the Workplace

Workers at Thompson’s Roller Door factory in Turrella have now entered their fourth week of strike action demanding a collective agreement. Their struggle has been supported by three mornings of community pickets of between 30-60 people organised last week by Workers Solidarity NSW.

These pickets have, in the words of the delegate turned the situation around completely, seriously disrupting production. On Friday the lawyer of this once cocky boss verbally offer an agreement, which comes close to fulfilling the worker's demands.

Now is the time for decisive action. A big rally has been called for Tuesday morning to force a formal agreement and show ongoing support for this brave and determined strike action.

read more: Workers Solidarity NSW background article on dispute

Union Solidarity turned up to the Port Campbell Woodside Gas Plant construction site on Friday 10 November for another round in the fight against IR consultant Colin Milne.

For those of you who aren't up to date with Milne, he is the IR consultant and an anti-unionist responsible for getting rid of, now, well over 150 workers at the construction site in Port Campbell where decent workers are being forced to work 56 hour weeks.

In a rather interesting, but rather predictable twist, Colin has now got rid of a number of subcontracting companies, bringing in Milne-friendly companies to take over certain jobs at the site. Milne's SAS history has helped him strategically cull the numbers of union workers at the site, and Union Solidarity made sure that Milne understood that Australian people will not tolerate such an attack on the Australian working way of life.

A number of different site supervisors tried to harass workers into pushing through the community assembly, but it would seem the workers have had enough of Milne's scare tactics and his ruthless pursuit of good, honest union people because they refused.

Making sure that people like Milne cannot impact the workforce is a good start to ensuring Australian workers maintain fair working conditions.

A further update on Union Solidarity's efforts to keep Milne in check will appear shortly.

background/previous actions: Port Campbell community stand up to IR bully

Thompson's Roller Shutters PTY LTD Turrella is an unfortunate example of what life is like for workers under the Howard Governments new industrial relations laws.

After trying to force its workers to sign AWA's for over six months the Thompson's management has taken advantage of the absence of unfair dismissal laws and fired an employee of 13 years for complaining to management about racial vilification within his Turrella workplace.

After weeks of harassment including racist comments written on his locker to Lebanese bread being left in the staff toilets with racist notes attached the man sought help from management. Not only did Thompson's management refuse to take any steps against racial abuse in their factory but they decided to fire this employee for "causing division" among the workers.

Since this sacking 9 workers have gone on strike outside the Henderson Street factory in solidarity with the sacked worker and in refusal of management's plans to place all employees on one of Howard's beloved AWA's. These workers, some who have been with Thompson's for over 18 years, have been trying to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with the company for over 7 months.

So far 7 full timers have signed AWA's and remain in the factory while 9 casual labour hired staff have been brought into take over the jobs of the 9 workers who have decided to strike.

Members of Worker Solidarity NSW are urging comrades and concerned citizens to participate in a peaceful community assembly outside the Henderson Street factory.

WSNSW believe that this kind of direct action is the most effective way to express solidarity with those workers who are brave enough to oppose the ongoing attacks against workers rights in Australia.

more info: Daniel on 0406 049 871 | Assembly Tueday 14 November

Building work at Alcoa’s new aluminium processing plant at Pinjarra in WA was halted Wednesday and Thursday morning (Nov 1&2) by the Peel Community Solidarity group. The community action, which involved holding mass meetings in the middle of the road, is the first of its kind in WA.

On October 31 thirty building workers were sacked after Alcoa cancelled a building firms contract. C.E.C.K, the new contractor, indicated that the workers would be re-employed under AWA’s (individual contracts) resulting in a 25% reduction in conditions.

Alcoa refused to negotiate in good faith with the union representing the workers, the Australian Workers Union (AWU). In response the community decided to discuss the issue on the main access road into the plant during a shift change. As Alcoa employs about 2,000 employees the action caused a traffic gridlock.

After Alcoa continued to hold out the action was repeated on the morning of November 2. Alcoa attempted to divert traffic along back roads. However the community decided to have a meeting in the middle of the new access point to the plant. At its peak traffic was banked up for 10km.

Only after the community was informed that Alcoa would negotiate with the AWU was the action adjourned. Alcoa have been warned to expect future “road meetings” if they are not serious about resolving the issue.

Staff in the University of NSW Mail Room are the latest victims of management cost-cutting and corporatisation at the University of New South Wales.

Mail services, including internal mail and courier services, overseas mail and domestic courier services were on Wednesday put out for tender via an advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald (1 November, 2006, p28).

The move follows a round of calls for voluntary redundancy across the University, which will see hundreds of support staff jobs lost across the institution. The job cuts program is currently the subject of a dispute between the National Tertiary Education Union and the University
of NSW, which will be heard today in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

This latest move to outsource has angered the NTEU. UNSW NTEU Branch President, Susan Price said today, "UNSW management has a responsibility to consult properly with staff and their unions about any major workplace change, which includes any plan to outsource University services."

"Less than three months ago, University management announced that it would outsource cleaning and security services, which resulted in the loss of over one hundred jobs," Price continued. "Again management is ignoring their responsibilities under the UNSW collective workplace agreement. The NTEU will not stand by and see our members' rights stomped on, their jobs put at risk, and University mail services handed over to private, profit-making interests."

NTEU members have taken news of their plight to staff across the University, handing out flyers and collecting signatures on petitions as they deliver the mail.

more info:
Susan Price President, NTEU UNSW Branch (02) 9385 2479, 0400 320 602
Chris Game State Secretary, NTEU NSW, (02) 9212 5433, 0408 007 612