4 June 2024
Wilmar threatens indefinite lockout for workers taking legal industrial action
Wilmar Sugar and Renewables has today threatened workers with lockout should they continue with legal protected industrial action as enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) negotiations continue.
Wilmar has threatened to indefinitely lock out any workers who attend feedback meetings with unions to hear about and discuss their upcoming EBA. The latest EBA offer is currently out to vote, with ballots closing next Tuesday 11 June.
“This is legal and protected industrial action, workers have the right to take it,” says ETU organiser Liam Sharkey. “We have planned mass meetings at all the mills this week, and workers voted to take one hour of stoppages to attend those meetings. Wilmar is threatening to lock out any worker who attends those meetings.”
“After 27 years as a union official, the level of bastadry from this company astounds me,” says ETU State Secretary Peter Ong. “To threaten workers with indefinite loss of pay for attending one hour-long meeting is an absolute disgrace.”
“Instead of giving workers a fair wage increase, Wilmar is threatening to lock out any person who takes any – one hour, even one minute, of protected industrial action,” says Mr Ong. “This company is treating its workers with absolute contempt.”
Wilmar workers have taken rolling protected industrial action over the past few weeks as EBA negotiations ramp up and the company refuses to bargain in good faith. Employees at the company are working under an agreement that expired in March of 2023.
“Wilmar is trying to stop workers from talking about the current EBA offer, which we are encouraging everyone to vote against. The last offer was overwhelmingly voted down, and this offer is barely better. The company is using every dirty tactic in the book instead of listening to its workers and compensating them fairly.
“These workers are paid well below the industry standard, and the company’s offer still won’t catch them up. Instead of bargaining in good faith. Wilmar is bullying and using grubby standover tactics.
“Wilmar is trying to starve out the workers to force them into voting up a sub-standard agreement. The company has treated workers with contempt throughout the negotiations, but this is a new level of bastadry,” says Mr Sharkey.
For more information, call Peter Ong on 0419 721 046 or Liam Sharkey on 0498 278 976