Vic Toyota dispute: 3,000 laid off

Melbourne's Toyota factory laid off its striking workforce last week 
until a secret ballot is held on its wages offer which has been rejected by 
unionists.

About 3,000 workers, members of the Electrical Division of the 
Communications, Electrical Plumbing Union (CEPU) and the Australian 
Manufacturing Workers Union Metal Division have been on strike since 
Thursday, September 9, over stalled enterprise bargaining negotiations.

Toyota was offering a 10.5 per cent pay rise over three-and-a-half years. 
The unions are seeking 21 per cent over three years, but have said this is 
an ambit claim and is negotiable. The problem is that in the past two 
weeks, Toyota has refused to negotiate, hoping instead to get its offer 
imposed on the union through a secret ballot.

The Industrial Relations Commission, in line with Reith's industrial laws, 
has ordered a secret ballot of workers on whether they want to accept the 
company's offer.

The unions involved in the strike oppose the secret ballot. "There should 
be further mass meetings; in fact, there should be further negotiation for 
an improved agreement", John Clancy, State Organiser with the Electrical 
Division of the CEPU told The Guardian.

The secret ballot will enable non-unionists to vote — effectively allowing 
non-unionists and pro-company workers to decide whether the union accepts 
the agreement. If the vote were to go against the union it would mean the 
union could not legally take further industrial action.

But this has not deterred the unions, who said that whatever the result of 
the vote, "we're still in dispute; we've made it clear we are still on 
strike".

Although only a small minority of the workforce at Toyota are non-union 
workers, mainly clerical and management staff, the process of a secret 
ballot is being used to shut out the union and the same tactic will be 
applied to workplaces where union representation is not so strong. The 
purpose is to side-line the union and convince workers that it has no power 
and is irrelevant.

"That's what Peter Reith's legislation is designed to do and it's bloody 
unfortunate that it's going to happen here", said John Clancy.

The striking workers were due to meet on Tuesday to decide what to do next.