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Esselte workers speak out

Graham Matthews, Sydney

18 August 2007

Warren Small and Norman Ham, striking workers from Esselte — a stationery company in Sydney’s south-west — spoke at the August 13 Parramatta Your Rights at Work meeting on their struggle against individual contracts (AWAs).

“Companies cannot be trusted to look after their workers”, Small continued. “That’s why it’s so important to have the union and an enterprise bargain in the workplace.” Small said the striking workers had not had a wage rise since 2005 and that Esselte had given them a choice as to whether to sign the AWAs, but then refused to bargain with those who declined. “Because I didn’t sign an AWA, I’ve been treated like a criminal”, Small said.

Small explained that an investigator from the federal department of workplace relations had been sent to interrogate him and other workers about why they had refused to sign an AWA. “They call it Work Choices. I’ve had no choice”, said Small.

The workers have set up their own You Tube page about the campaign. Visit <http://www.youtube.com/esselteworkers>.