Visy workers' victory

Visy Industries agreed to a single national agreement, 
incorporating industry standard wage rises, hours before 
Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU) members were due 
to walk off 13 sites around Australia. The packaging giant, 
headed by billionaire Richard Pratt, agreed to fold two existing 
EBAs into a single document, featuring annual wage movements of 
4.75 percent, at 11th hour talks in Melbourne last week.

AMWU industrial officer, Juliana Dickinson, called the agreement 
a "major victory" for 600 workers who had waged a three-month 
campaign.

They had given notice of indefinite action at sites in 
Queensland, NSW, WA and Victoria.

"Solidarity, and commitment to collective action has delivered 
one agreement", said Ms Dickinson. "Strong and disciplined 
leadership by our delegates around the country was the key to 
securing it.

"Everyone welcomes Visy's change of heart and is looking forward 
to a more co-operative relationship in the future."

Initially, Visy refused to discuss the national agreement claim, 
voted for at meetings on all its sites. Instead, it ran ballots, 
offering bonuses to individuals if they would break ranks and 
pick up single-site, non-union agreements that offered less than 
the 4.75 percent signed off on by major competitors Amcor and 
Carter Holt Harvey.

That strategy came to a halt after the proposal was rolled by 
ballots at TPC Smithfield, Visy Board, Warwick Farm; Visy Board, 
Dandenong; Visy Paper, Smithfield; Visy Board, O'Connor (WA); and 
TPC, Kewdale (WA).

Last week's early-morning meeting brought agreement on the single 
document, wage movements and increased redundancy entitlements.

Ms Dickinson said the "nuts and bolts" of bringing the existing 
documents together would take place next week.

"This is a great result because it gives Visy employees the best 
chance of defending their wages and conditions in what could be 
uncertain times", she said. "They have already proved that 
standing together works."