AWU Negotiates Bell Bay Smelter Deal

Bell Bay Aluminium Smelter on the Tamar River Tasmania

The Australian Workers Union (AWU) has agreed to a workplace agreement with Rio Tinto Ltd that will enhance job security and protect conditions in return for concessions on wages.

Workers at the Bell Bay aluminium smelter in Tasmania will still be on a performance-related pay structure, though there will be no annual across-the-board pay rises.

The deal for employees was welcomed by both sides, with AWU national secretary Paul Howes saying it offered certainty for employees.

“It’s actually really a model for how workers and employers can work together during tough economic times to make these plants more productive, this is an agreement and arrangement which demonstrates that the union movement is able to move with the times.”