The Guardian 24 October, 2007
Brewery workers
on the hop over pay dispute
Despite being offered $1000 to sign on and substantial pay rises, workers at Foster’s Yatala in Queensland have once again rejected the company’s offer, holding out for a union collective agreement.
Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) members at Foster’s Yatala plant rejected the offer after taking industrial action on October 5 and rallying at the company’s marketing headquarters in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley.
The industrial action was the first in a series of planned stoppages with an all day stoppage due at the end of October.
The dispute between Foster’s and workers represented by the AMWU and other unions has dragged on for eight months due to the refusal of the company to negotiate a union collective agreement.
AMWU Queensland organiser Steve Milne said that the workers have consistently favoured a union agreement.
"The majority have clearly shown support for union representation, despite the company’s attempts to win them over. Foster’s have even employed another 30 casual workers in order to increase the vote and win the ballot in favour of the company, but it hasn’t worked."
He said that the workers had chosen union representation, but it is a choice the company can ignore because of the new laws. "There is no clearer example of who WorkChoices really looks after than this one."
An international solidarity campaign co-ordinated by the International Union of Foodworkers has so far generated more than 2000 protest messages to Foster’s headquarters and local management and regularly informed affiliated unions at Foster’s in other countries.
The AMWU alongside the other unions in the workplace will continue their nation-wide campaign, which includes a petition in support of the Yatala workers’ demands and leafleting at Foster’s-sponsored sporting events to educate the wider Australian public about the fight for workers’ rights at Foster’s.