After a campaign lasting more than eighteen months, the last of the Tristar workers has received their full redundancy entitlement.
Three workers were made redundant on Tuesday and the last manufacturing worker will leave the company on 30 November.
AMWU New South Wales Secretary Paul Bastian said that the workers were overjoyed that they would receive their full entitlements after such a long hard battle.
The company ceased operations, but did not make its longest serving employees redundant. Using a strategy based on new technicalities in WorkChoices, the company kept these workers ‘employed’ doing nothing, waiting for WorkChoices to take effect.
“Under WorkChoices the company could simply refuse to negotiate a new agreement and revert back to the award – which enabled them to pay the long serving employees much less money,” said Mr Bastian.
As public sympathy for the Tri Star workers grew, the Howard Government was forced to act.
But Mr Bastian says they can take no credit for the resolution of the dispute.
“The Tri Star situation could occur again because the laws enable it to happen."
AMWU organiser Martin Schutz said the toll taken on the health of the workers and their families can never be repaid.
“I shudder to think what happens to workers who don’t have unions, or the media’s attention,” he said.
“Let’s all remember Tri Star when we vote this Saturday to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
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