Locked out:
Solidarity with Moss Vale workers
Workers at the Joy Mining Machinery plant in Moss Vale on the south coast of NSW are presently on a picket line, their employer, a union- bashing US multinational, having locked them out, claiming it will keep the gates closed against them until July. The unions had been attempting to negotiate an enterprise agreement since late last year. Then in February the company served four separate bargaining periods on different sections of the Moss Vale plant — the hydraulic shop, the gearbox shop, the warehouse and the main fabrication shop. For 20 years the plant has had a single agreement covering the whole site. Pressure was put on individual workers to sign the company's EBA or face being locked out or the site closed. The workforce remained united and determined to not be split up by the company, aware that following the introduction of separate agreements management was planning to introduce individual contracts. Then, on March 31, the company began removing uncompleted jobs off the site to be stored in a local transport yard. The workers, members of the Manufacturing Workers' Union, the Australian Workers' Union and the Electrical Trades Union withdrew their labour and set up picket lines at the main entrances to prevent the equipment being removed. Having failed to break the spirit of its workforce by threats, the company locked out its workforce on April 14. The letter of notification stated that they would not be permitted to return to work until day shift (7am) on July 13. "During this period you will not be permitted to enter any premises of Joy while you are locked out. Any presence by you on such premises will be treated as trespass and Joy reserves its rights to take appropriate action in respect of any such trespass by you. The key issues in dispute are the unions' demand for one agreement covering the whole site, and for the agreement to have a common expiry date in line with the rest of the industry. The aim is to gain the maximum solidarity and strength when bargaining by bringing an end to isolated EBAs and trade-offs. The company not only sought to break up the workforce with four separate EBAs, but wants a different expiry date for each agreement. There were a number of other important issues on which the company's position was unacceptable: * it wants wage increases below the industry standard — with wage reductions for some classifications! The unions sought a minimum eight percent wage rise per annum and additional wage increases as a result of any increase in the CPI not covered by the GST tax offset package. * the company is seeking to remove restrictions on the use of casual labour, posing a threat to the jobs of the permanent workforce; * the unions want to retain the present ban on the introduction of individual work contracts (AWAs). Joy Machinery wants to delete it, paving the way for a casualised, non-unionised workforce on individual contracts. There are also differences over redundancy provisions, trade union training leave, decision making processes, how often wages are paid, collective bargaining, accumulated sick leave, and the taking of maternity leave. The workers are receiving tremendous support from the local community and a number of local businesses with food and equipment on the picket line. CFMEU and MUA members and students from the Wollongong University have been amongst those joining the "Concerned Citizens at the picket lines. Workers at the company's Rockhampton plant have taken 24-hour strike action in solidarity. Messages of support, financial assistance and visits to the picket line are needed. The workers have no form of income and are not eligible for social security for three months while locked out. The fighting fund is called Joy Workers (Moss Vale) Fighting Fund. Messages and financial support can be sent to the AMWU NSW State Council, P O Box 167, Granville, NSW 2142 or fax: 02 9897 2219.