ACTU – Union Parmalat victory a warning for business and the government

20 March 2017

The ACTU welcomes the resolution of the Parmalat dispute in Echuca, with Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) and Electrical Trade Union (ETU) members voting to accept an agreement that includes wage rises, improved redundancy provisions, and mandated consultation if contractors are brought in.

Quotes attributable to ACTU Secretary Sally McManus:

1. “This new agreement is a huge win for the Parmalat workers in Echuca who have been locked out of their workplace for more than two months.”
2. “Following on from the win by CUB workers last year, there is a clear warning to big business that they should stop trying to undermine or attack workers and instead work with unions to ensure fair and mutually beneficial outcomes.”
3. “No Australian should be locked out of their workplace and be threatened with pay cuts, just as no Australian should have their pay cut as we have seen with 700,000 penalty rate workers - we must fix the unfairness in our industrial relations laws.”
4. “It’s time for the Federal Government to take action to stand up for working Australians, instead of always backing the top end of town and foreign multinationals.”