Wattyl be our Rights at Work?

"The workforce at Wattyl's plants in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth have told management they want them to show they respect their workers - but the company just doesn't want to listen," LHMU Assistant National Secretary, Tim Ferrari, said today.

"Wattyl is insisting on AWA individual contracts for all new starters. It seems to be a take it or leave proposition.... they have no choice as to whether they do or do not accept . It is probably a condition of employment that they sign AWAs."

Long standing union collective agreement rights threatened

Tim Ferrari pointed out that Kenny Caines, a longstanding Wattyl paint worker in NSW, told the Federal Minister for Workplace Relations, Joe Hockey at a face-to-face meeting in the Minister's Canberra office that paint workers are angered by these AWAs being forced on new employees,

"Kenny told the minister that not one member of the current workforce was happy with the introduction of AWAs because they fear that it will undermine the long-standing union collective agreements with the company, which have been in place since for at least the past decade, " Tim Ferrari said.

Wattyl joins militant minority of employers running over the rights of working Australians

"Resolutions have been passed by union members asking Wattyl to withdraw the AWAs. LHMU members believe that this is a breach of good faith by Wattyl when there was a longstanding union collective agreement in place."

"Wattyl has been a traditionally strong union workplace with good management-employee relations but - in an atmoshphere created by a hostile Federal Government - now the company has decided to join a minority prepared to use tactics to run over the rights of working Australians," Tim Ferrari said.

Protecting our children and grandchildren

"No wonder we're asking Wattyl be our Rights at Work - and what will be the rights at work for our children and grandchildren if these tactics spread to other workplaces."

more