Niko Leka, Newcastle

On March 16, Boeing conceded on three demands made by the Australian Workers Union on behalf of 25 aircraft maintenance workers employed at the company’s Williamtown centre. The previous day, the AWU lodged objections with the Australian Industrial Relations Commission to three conditions Boeing has been seeking from the workers since they returned to work on February 24 after a nine-month strike.

The three conditions are the lack of wages transparency, whereby Boeing workers find it impossible to know what they are being paid — or not paid — for; a confidentiality clause in Boeing’s proposed contracts, which would prevent workers from telling each other how much they are paid; and Boeing’s “right” to change conditions of employment without consulting the workers.

On March 16, Boeing agreed to consult with employees before changing conditions of employment, withdrew a confidentiality clause, and agreed to provide a breakdown of what each worker was paid for at the end of the year. This applies to all Boeing maintenance workers on individual contracts, including non-union workers, at Williamtown (NSW) and Oakey and Amberly (Queensland) bases.

Williamtown worker and union delegate Adam Burgoyne said that striking-out the confidentiality requirement was a significant victory, since “as soon as workers start talking to each other about their conditions — that's when they start asking questions”. The workers will now consider the offer when the written details are presented.

From Green Left Weekly, March 29, 2006.
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