More than 80 Australian Manufacturing Worker’s Union and Electrical Trades Union members working at Don KR Castlemaine began strike action last Thursday.
ETU strike organiser Aaron Douglas told the Express that wage negotiations with the company over the past few months had been unsuccessful.
“We put together a log of claims that were intended to maintain job security and protect the integrity of the trades and the qualifications that people have gotten through their apprenticeships,” Mr Douglas said.
“The last strike with the company was six years ago, and there was a renegotiation three years ago, which was just after COVID.
“The business was going through a hard patch at the time and as a result, the members here took a very, very small wage increase, because they identified that the company wasn’t in a great position. However, that has put them well behind, with a 12-13 per cent disparity.”
Mr Douglas said the group of employees were trying to bridge that gap, particularly given the cost-of-living crisis.
Despite being offered a wage increase, the union members were not satisfied with the negotiations and chose to take industrial action, starting with an indefinite ban on overtime, call-back and use of electronic device.
“I met with the members yesterday afternoon and they voted almost unanimously to withdraw their labour,” Mr Douglas said.
“When we started negotiations, they (Don KR) came out with their log of claims, and in our opinion they had a very aggressive log, they were thinking to reduce existing entitlements and, credit where credit’s due, they did offer a wage increase, but in the opinion of the members, it is not enough to bridge the gap we’re trying to bridge.
“We’re hoping it doesn’t have to take too long. We’re hoping to have a meaningful conversation that gets us somewhere.”
Glen Burns, an electrician at Don KR for the past 14 years, told the Express that at the age of 51, he had never been on strike before.
“It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this,” he said.
“This is being driven by the cost of living. The last Enterprise Bargaining Agreement we had here, the world was a different place. We didn’t ask for anything really and we got nothing either. We were fine with that, because everyone was unsure three years ago, so we came to that agreement, but in real terms, this EBA agreement means we’ve fallen behind.
“This is not easy. No one can afford to go on strike, plain and simple. It is a big deal. I need to feed my family.”
Don Smallgoods told the Express they were in new EBA negotiations with the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union and the Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia for its Castlemaine workforce.
“While the process has been protracted at times, the business remains committed to reaching an agreement that provides a positive outcome for all parties,” they said.
