"Let them in the gate"
Unions rally in support of locked out workers

On August 27, over two thousand workers rallied in Geelong's market 
square demanding that the 93 workers who have been locked out of Geelong 
Wool Combing since May 1 be allowed to return to work. The workers are 
members of the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia 
(TCFUA)

In a strong display of solidarity, workers from the Electrical Trades 
Union, the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, the Australian 
Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) 
and Plumbers division of the CEPU, attended the rally.

TCFUA (Victoria) Secretary, Michele O'Neil, said the Geelong Wool Combing 
Company had treated workers "brutally".

"The company is happy to take all they can from these workers but they 
don't want to give anything back. They have misjudged the strength and 
principle of these workers. You cannot treat people in such a brutal way 
and expect them to do nothing about it."

Ms O'Neil said the company's treatment of the workers had been provoked by 
the "militant" industrial relations laws of the Howard Government.

"Geelong Wool Combing, backed up by John Howard and Tony Abbott, is 
committing a crime against these workers by locking them out of work. We 
will not rest until we get the workers back in the gate."

One of the locked-out workers' partners, Theresa, told the rally that the 
dispute had delayed the couple's wedding plans. She said it was hard for 
their children to understand why they could no longer enjoy treats when 
shopping.

"It has been a long four months. I never thought it would go on this long. 
We are going to survive and hopefully get back in the gate. I would like to 
thank all the other workers and unionists who have supported us so far."

Victorian Trades Hall Council Secretary, Leigh Hubbard, said the issues at 
stake in the dispute were integral to the trade union movement.

"This dispute is about decency and dignity at work. It is a struggle 
against this federal government for the right of all Australian workers to 
be treated decently and with dignity by employers.

"Howard and Abbott are behind an increasingly aggressive approach by 
employers at ACI in Box Hill, at Smorgon Steel in Laverton and here in 
Geelong by the company that has locked you out of work," Mr Hubbard said.

CFMEU (Victoria) secretary, Martin Kingham, said the company had adopted a 
"cruel tactic" to try to force the workers to accept the erosion of their 
conditions. He said the dispute had "Tony Abbott's fingerprints all over 
it".

"They have the funds and the means to see them through the cold winter 
months. The lock-out is an attempt to starve the workers back. It is a 
cruel and inhumane tactic and we condemn it."

Mr Kingham said unionists and community members around Victoria should be 
prepared to come to the aid of the Geelong Wool Combing Workers if the 
dispute continued.

"The longer the dispute goes on, the more likely it is that we will have a 
repeat of the waterfront dispute where tens of thousands of workers and 
members of the public went down to the docks to stop scabs coming on site. 
We have to show the employer and this government that these workers are not 
isolated", he said.

Union Secretaries Dave Oliver (AMWU) and Kevin Bracken (MUA) presented 
cheques to the combined value of $23,000 to the Geelong Wool Combing 
Workers. The funds were raised by donations from union members.

TCFUA delegate and Geelong Wool Combing worker, Glen Mulgrave, relayed a 
message of thanks to all the unionists in Geelong and throughout Victoria 
who are supporting the locked-out workers.

"It would have been a far steeper struggle without your support. We are on 
the rise and the company are on the fall. I put it to them that they let us 
back to work so that we can feed our families."