Workers at Visy’s canning plant in southern Melbourne have won a stunning EBA victory by refusing to crumple during a six-week strike despite company threats.
The gritty unionists repeatedly voted down management proposal to effectively cut the wage of night shift workers by at least 30 per cent at its Clayton South plant.
The 32 AMWU members showed fierce solidarity as the company tried to engage replacement labour under the stare of security guards and cameras. The action eventually stopped production of two million soft drink and beer cans per day.
Delegate Jerry Landolfo and organiser Dinh Nguyen only became more determined when Visy served them with a $500,000 Supreme Court writ for damages.
The members’ reward came when the company dropped its bid to take away the nightshift allowance, then agreed to a wage increase of four per cent and a guarantee to pay the employees WageGuard insurance cover.
Mr Landolfo said a $500 implementation bonus was final proof vindicating the AMWU and Electrical Trades Union, fellow delegate George Saik leading members back to work with their heads held high.
Mr Landolfo said Visy had provoked the strike by locking them out for three days as attempted punishment for a one-hour industrial action, fully expecting them to return to work.
“We gave them 10 times that back, it was difficult at times but I think the solidarity got stronger the longer it went, ” he said.
“We’re pretty happy, the guys have a lot of pride in what we achieved and now the company knows for next time we won’t be intimidated.”
Donations of cash, food and firewood poured in from neighbouring businesses, with the AMWU supplying a caravan and a barbecue to fortify the strikers camped outside the plant.
Visy three times brought on votes to get the attempted wage cut approved, twice being overwhelmingly defeated and abandoning its own attempt to run a ballot.
The day after the last of its hat-trick of defeats, Visy asked the AMWU and Electrical Trades Union to begin conciliation in Fair Work Australia. It dropped all its claims plus the Supreme Court action.
Organiser Dinh Nguyen said Visy had suffered the consequences of its own provocation with warehouses empty of stock when the workers finally returned to the site.
“They thought we were weak, the strike would fold but they didn’t know their own workers down here,” he said.
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