ACTU – Glencore’s Oaky North 6 Month Lockout

10 January 2018

Workers at Glencore’s Oaky North site have today marked 6 months since they were locked out by their employer.

Despite the desperate tactics being employed by the company, the workers have stayed strong and have the full support of the Australian union movement. They will stay united for as long as it takes to show Glencore that intimidation and bullying of Australian workers will never be rewarded.

Glencore pays no tax in Australia and is exploiting our broken industrial relations system to try and slash wages and conditions for hard working, highly skilled workers at Oaky North. We cannot tolerate this and we have to change the rules.

Quotes attributable to ACTU President Ged Kearney:

• “Glencore is a prime example of how broken the rules which once protected workers have become.”
• “This is a company which makes massive profits from our natural resources, pays no tax on those profits, and is now trying to slash the pay of workers.”
• “These workers are not on strike, they are not taking industrial action. They are keen to work, but the company is locking them out to deprive them of wages and a fair living. This company is trying to starve its workers and their families into submission.”
• “The union movement will stand with these workers for as long as it takes. We won at CUB, we won at Streets, Glencore is working from a failed playbook.”
• “Employers are pushing the envelope further and further every day. The increased use of lockouts, cancelation of agreements and other anti-worker tactics is alarming, but the union movement is equal to any challenge and we will change the rules.”