BY STEPHEN GARVEY
On September 9 the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) ruled on the final details of the enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) at ACI's Box Hill factory, which has been the scene of a long-running dispute between the company and members of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU).
EBA negotiations at the factory had been stalled by the company, which stood the workers down and then imposed a series of lockouts on them. Aside from depriving the workers of wages for three and a half months, the ACI bosses also made an application to the AIRC to have the current EBA terminated. This would have meant that workers' entitlements would be stripped back to minimum award conditions.
Under award conditions, the workers would be only entitled to eight weeks' redundancy pay. Since ACI outsourced much of the work to non-union workplaces, it could then have easily shut down the Box Hill site paying only a fraction of what workers are currently entitled to in compensation.
Workers from other ACI sites responded to the lockout with nationwide stoppages on the July 22, August 18 and August 19. This pressure, along with the desire to radically alter the workers' working week, persuaded ACI to suspend its application to terminate the EBA. Instead, the bosses moved to negotiate with the workers on all but one of the clauses of the EBA.
Underlying this move, ACI sought to impose a working week against the workers wishes. Previously, the workers worked a three-day, 12-hour shift. The bosses wanted to change this to a five-day, eight-hour working week. Under such a roster, the number of working hours would increase from 35 per week to 38 (three hours compulsory overtime) and the number of shifts and rostered days off available would be reduced. Due to less shifts, it would also mean that jobs would be lost.
The disputed part of the EBA was submitted on September 8 to the AIRC for arbitration. ACI argued that the new roster was a change necessary for productivity increases while the AMWU argued that it would adversely effect the workers' family lives.
The AIRC ruled in favour of the new roster. As the workers have returned to work, most of those who have been told by management that they will be made redundant are militant representatives of the workers.
Despite being given the green light by the AIRC to lay off workers, ACI has had to pay out a total of $1.8 million in redundancy entitlements. Combined with the three-and-a-half months lost in production, this was a very costly exercise for the company.
Even though key leaders of the workers will be sacked, this does not necessarily mean the complete eradication of resistance at ACI Box Hill.
AMWU ACI organiser Tony Mavromatis, on behalf of the Box Hill workers, expressed thanks to all those who supported the workers, materially and morally. In particular, he thanked the metalworkers of Herald & Weekly Times Ltd, AMWU and Electrical Trades Union maintenance workers at ACI, the Socialist Alliance and workers at General Motors-Holden's and the Coode Island construction sites.
From Green Left Weekly, September 17, 2003.
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