BY NICK FREDMAN

LISMORE — Sugar mill workers across northern New South Wales have won a substantial victory over Sunshine Sugar. The company had attempted to cut the workers' real pay and demanded compulsory work on public holidays in recent enterprise bargaining negotiations.

Sunshine management locked out 350 workers on November 5 after workers had rejected the pay offer of an 8.5% rise over three years and the demand for compulsory work on public holidays. The company attempted to entice workers back to the mills on November 17 after the lockout had proved ineffective, but with no concessions on management's part, workers voted to strike.

By November 22, Sunshine had agreed to a 7% rise over two years and dropped all demands for compulsory holiday rosters.

The management backdown seems to be due both to a need to reopen the mills to finish the crushing season, and a realisation that the striking workers were receiving increasing solidarity, according to Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union sugar mills organiser Leo Bugden.

“Management realised they had no hope of starving the workers out after we had toured building sites in Sydney to gather support and got a lot of local help”, Bugden told Green Left Weekly. “Timber workers donated $300, and building workers from Yamba helped on the pickets and dropped in food.”

Union activists argued that the company had intended to use the dispute to weaken the strength of the unions in the mills. The sugar processing capitalists have a hold over local cane growers, despite the efforts of unions to hold discussions with farmers.

But, says Bugden, the community was largely won to the side of the workers during the dispute. “Local people who never supported unions before helped out”.

From Green Left Weekly, December 12, 2001.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.

Tools

• Bookmark This Page
• Print This Page