ACI flying pickets
By Chris Slee
MELBOURNE — Locked out workers from the ACI glass mould manufacturing plant in Box Hill have gone on the offensive. After more than two months of picketing the plant, they have begun paying visits to companies that use ACI products.
On February 17, workers picketed the Carlton and United Breweries plant in Abbotsford, where they stopped trucks entering and leaving for four hours.
On February 24, they carried out a similar picket of the Kraft Foods plant. Once again, they managed to block trucks from entering or leaving the plant for several hours. Many drivers turned away when they saw the picket line.
The workers hope that complaints from CUB and Kraft management will put pressure on ACI to resolve the dispute over a new enterprise agreement.
The workers want a pay rise while retaining existing conditions. The company is trying to impose unrestricted management prerogative, make the workers do extra duties with no extra pay and introduce de facto casualisation.
The workers also paid a visit to the ACI head office in Clayton on February 22. Finding an open door, they entered and walked around the building, expressing their feelings in a noisy but non-violent manner. Police were called but made no arrests. Eventually the office staff were sent home for the day.
Meanwhile, ACI's lawyers have sent letters to the workers threatening that those who have taken temporary employment elsewhere in order to survive could be regarded as having abandoned their employment. The letter says, "ACI is currently conducting extensive investigations to identify employees with alternative full-time employment".
Workers told Green Left Weekly that they doubted the legality of such threats, but in any case were not intimidated by them.
Supporters are encouraged to visit the picket line at 38 Lexton Road, Box Hill. You can even get your car washed there for a $5 donation to the hardship fund.