Kodak negative on jobs

Six-day working weeks and plans to hire additional staff have 
left question marks hanging over Kodak's decision to punt 650 
workers from its Melbourne operation.

Kodak blamed the "international market" for the bombshell it 
dropped on Coburg but affected workers told their union, the 
Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU), they had been on 
six-day weeks up until the announcement, and 14 newly employed 
people had been scheduled to begin work.

The American transnational barred union officials, including AMWU 
National Secretary Doug Cameron and his Victorian counterpart 
Dave Oliver, from the meeting where it told staff they were 
finished.

Dave Oliver said Kodak had "totally mismanaged" the issue and 
called on it to "come clean" about the situation.

"We want to see their business plans and the arguments on which 
they are basing this closure. Members have told us they have been 
working increased hours", Mr Oliver said.

"In the paper area, they have been doing six days weeks and 
expected 14 new starters to begin today [last Friday]. At the 
moment, it seems, Kodak's actions don't tally with its words.

"Kodak has treated these people with contempt and our mission is 
to save jobs, as many as possible. If we can only save one job it 
will be disappointing but it will be a better situation than we 
are in today."

AMWU officials brushed a city briefing with corporate lawyers to 
arrive at the Coburg plant in time for the announcement but were 
refused entry to the site and relegated to interviewing members 
as they left.

Dave Oliver said Kodak hadn't responded to the union's first 
question: had the company, at any stage, approached state or 
federal government about possible assistance for preserving jobs?

"In the middle of a federal election campaign, you would think, 
they would be in a good position to improve the situation if they 
wanted to", he said.

The AMWU is calling for a meeting with Kodak and the state and 
federal governments.

The union insists that if jobs must go, the company must offer 
voluntary redundancy across its operation.

Kodak blamed its decision to chop 650 production jobs on what it 
said was the international victory of digital over film. Four 
hundred administrative, sales and stores jobs will remain in 
Melbourne.

The company has rejected suggestions that Coburg jobs will be 
exported to a cheap labour site in China.