1000 Coles workers lose their jobs

Kerry Smith

On July 11, more than 1000 workers at Coles Myer distribution centres — 440 in Somersby near Gosford and 580 in Hampton Park in Melbourne — received redundancy notices.

The Somersby workers say they had heard rumours the warehouse was about to be closed, but up until July 10 Coles management had denied them. Then, on July 11, "25 men in suits carrying boxes came in — they gave us all the punt", Mark Vaunt, a union delegate who has worked at the Somersby centre for a decade, told the July 12 Sydney Morning Herald. "They even have an office in Gosford to help people find new jobs. You reckon they set that up yesterday?", he added.

The National Union of Workers NSW state secretary Derrick Belan said: "The reality is that with the Liberal government's new IR laws no worker in Australia is safe." Belan said he would "welcome any serious attempt at a rescue package from government to assist the Coles workers".

From Green Left Weekly, July 19, 2006.

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From GLW issue 675