Fines threaten unionists' homes

PERTH — Garry Graham is one of the 40 workers being sued by Kwinana contracting firm Total Corrosion Control who will appear in the Federal Court in Perth on August 29 facing fines of up to $28,600.

The 43-year-old, who has four children aged between two and 13, told the August 7 West Australian that his family home was on the line. "We're doing it fairly tough as it is with the rising costs of fuel and interest rate rises, so getting stung for that much money would really put us in a hole", he said.

Total Corrosion Control has refused to sign a memorandum of understanding, agreed by all other contractors at Alcoa's Pinjarra refinery, that would have settled a long-standing dispute over pay rates.

The company alleges that union report-back meetings went over time and constituted illegal industrial action. Australian Manufacturing Workers Union WA secretary Jock Ferguson maintains that the workers did nothing wrong. He said both meetings were only necessary because of Total Corrosion Control's refusal to guarantee industry standard rates in the first place.

The company is also seeking $110,000 penalties and damages against the AMWU. Ferguson said the legal actions were "frivolous" and "provocative", and the union would vigorously contest them "because we don't believe we have done anything wrong".

Jodie West

From GLW issue 681