INSID

E Printing jobs savedHybrid Camry launchedWomen in manufacturing

SUMMER 2010

`The Battle of Hastings Deering'2000 workers, 40 delegates, 25 sites, 12 months, 1 collective agreement

AMWUNEWS2

Plenty of challenges ahead in 2010

In 2009 several significant victories reminded all

Australians of the important role that unionists play in making our working lives better. The introduction of Paid Parental Leave for every Australian was the result of more than 30 years of campaigning by unions and particularly the women in our movement. It was a generational victory, and will be a foundation for family friendly workplaces in the future.The other major step forward was the new Fair Work Act and the end to the WorkChoices laws that had stripped away so many rights from so many workers.

Despite these achievements, many of our members suffered in 2009. Being made redundant, through no fault of your own and after decades of service is devastating. It only gets worse when you discover that the entitlements you thought would tide you over are gone. This was the case for hundreds of workers at DSI, Metaltech, ACL, Forgecast and many more.

In 2010 the AMWU’s campaign will demand that Federal Labor protect redundancy entitlements in full.

As we go to press, workers at

McCain and Australian Paper in Tasmania have learned of the closure of their companies. The Federal and State Governments’ $20m industry development package for north west Tasmania may be all that stands between these workers’ communities and devastating unemployment. This is a reminder that the effects of the global recession are still flowing through to our economy.

That’s why we will need to ensure that the Federal Government continues investing in jobs and the economy, and is not spooked by an aggressive Coalition scare campaign about the successful stimulus packages.

With the elevation of Tony Abbott to leader of the Liberal Party, it is likely that we will face a federal election fought on climate change and industrial relations. Our response to climate change will affect our jobs, our way of life and our standard of living for generations to come.

Any solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must involve creating new industries that produce clean energy or make the technology to produce it. We can address climate change and create jobs for the next generation, but only if we get our approach right and start now.

After the dumping of Malcolm Turnbull and their rejection of the government’s emissions trading scheme, the Liberal Party has been left without a policy and dominated by the science-denying right. It seems that the Liberal Party will remain a volatile, obstructionist group for a long time to come. Should Kevin Rudd and the Labor Government seek an early or double-dissolution election on this vital issue, it will be completely warranted.

The election of Tony Abbott is worrying on many fronts. Within hours of taking over, Abbott said that a Coalition Government would restore many of the features of WorkChoices.

As the election approaches, we will need to work hard to ensure our fellow workers, family and friends understand the danger of not acting on climate change and the danger of giving back our rights at work to a Coalition Government.

Dave Oliver AMWU National Secretary

AMWU News is the official publication of the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union, (registered AFMEPKIU) National Office, 133 Parramatta Road, Granville, NSW, 2142.

Editor: Dave Oliver

Communications Officer: Tim Chapman

Production Management: Essential Media Communications, Melbourne

Design: dcmc Design, Melbourne

All information included in this publication was correct at the time of publication, but is subject to change at any time. Please contact your union organiser for updates.

© AMWU National Office

Made in Australia by AMWU labour

Dave Oliver's editorial ............................................................................. 3Printing jobs saved ................................................................................. 4Workers save cash and the environment .............................................. 5What the new Award system means ...................................................... 6Hastings Deering: Strength in numbers ................................................ 7Kickstart program for apprentices ...................................................... 10Manufacturing Alliance .......................................................................... 11Advancing women in manufacturing ................................................... 13International struggle at Toshiba ......................................................... 14New investment to beat climate change ............................................. 15

AMWU News

AMWUNEWS 3

SUMMER2010

“Any solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must involve creating new industries that produce clean energy or make the technology to produce it.

The AMWU's campaign will demand that Federal Labor protect redundancy entitlements in full.

EDITORIAL

Hundreds of printing jobs saved

AMWUNEWS4

NEWS

The Federal Government has rejected proposed changes to book-publishing copyright laws after the AMWU convinced

Labor MPs that the changes would cost hundreds of jobs.The Productivity Commission had recommended abolishing the 30-day book rule but the publishing industry, including print workers, argued that such a move would have flooded the Australian market with overseas copies of books. Local authors would have lost the copyrights to their work; Australian versions would have

died out, and the local publishing industry would have lost the scale it needs to remain viable.

AMWU National Print Secretary, Lorraine Cassin, was on the ALP working party that recommended rejecting the Productivity Commission's report after investigating the impact on jobs.

ªIt was hard to explain to some of the politicians how complex the printing industry is, but after a lot of conversations, the committee recommended that the government reject the Productivity Commission proposal. I'm very pleased that the Cabinet took our findings seriously and print workers have had such a good win.º

For Robert Jackson, the union delegate and one of 300 workers at McPherson's Print Group in Maryborough, the decision is a huge relief.

ªThe changes would have cost hundreds of jobs. People with young families and mortgages and these are not just workers in the printing industry in my town, but all the side jobs that the industry keeps alive.º

Mr Jackson was part of the AMWU campaign to stop the Productivity Commission proposal, which was proposed

despite 90% of the submissions to its inquiry arguing against it.

Ms Cassin said that AMWU members who fought the campaign understood that it was not just their jobs at stake. The laws would have greatly reduced the number of books printed in Australia by taking away the local copyrights of Australian authors.

ªIt would have affected so many players in the industry from print workers, to publishers, to authors, so all of these stakeholders along with the major booksellers were united in our campaign.º

Mr Jackson described the decision as the best thing I've heard in thirty years.

ªNow we can sit down and go ahead with negotiating our union agreement with confidence, he said. The company wouldn't even consider talking to us until this was sorted out.º

ªWe got one fight out of the way, now there's another. No rest for the wicked!º he said. ■

Robert Jackson (right) from McPherson’s Print Group and Gordon Wilson (left) from PMP-Griffin

Press went with Lorraine Cassin, Dave Oliver and employer Ben Jolly to lobby politicians in Canberra.

A character-building experienceAuthor Shane Maloney is used to

writing the script for the politician characters in his best-selling Murray Whelan fiction series. But he found himself in a less novel situation when he went to Canberra to lobby MPs to reject the parallel importation of books.At first, he didn't get the warmest reception from the real-life government ministers.

ªThey were all keen to tell me I had misrepresented them in my books,º Maloney laughs.

ªBut in the end, I was very happy that they saw the good sense in keeping things as they are.º

For Maloney, removing the copyright protection meant losing his ability to sell his work in the international market place on the terms of his choosing.

ªThe rewards of my work would have been confiscated from me.º

Parallel importation of books would have meant that overseas produced publications (from overruns) would have been introduced into Australia and sold at a fraction of the price of the local edition and publishers and authors would get nothing from the sales.

ªThe argument run by the free marketeers that

AMWUNEWS 5

NEWS

The fact is, we knew that the company was doing well and here was management offering us 0% pay rise over the next three years.

A great win for Varian workersOrganiser Greg Warren had

heard it all before. As he listened to Varian management cry poor due to the Global Financial Crisis, he wondered if employers had all been trained to use this tactic at every negotiation.

ªThe fact is, we knew that the company was doing well and here was management offering us a 0% pay rise over the next three years.º

Despite that paltry offering, a re-energised workforce led by new delegate Peter Ng, was able to secure a 14.5% pay rise over three years and lock down a number of conditions that the workers had wanted for a long time.

ªIt was the best pay rise in the history of our negotiations,º said Mr Ng. ªOn top of that we kept all our conditions

going through a transmission of business and we also secured our entitlements which was a big issue for us.º

It was a long drawn out campaign, but Mr Warren said that a ballot for industrial action delivered 98% support from the workers which caused management to get fair dinkum with the workers.

ªWe were also successful in initiating a re-classification process that's already begun and will better recognise the skills held by these members.º

Due to the activism of a number of workers during the campaign, new elections for delegates took place after the EBA was finalised. John Scobie and Linda McGuiness have stepped up with Peter Ng to represent AMWU members on site. ■

Workers save cash and the environment

AMWU members at the Department of Defence recently negotiated a

collective agreement which will save them money and help them get to work on public transport.

The initiative involves Department of Defence management purchasing yearly travel cards for use on public transport for its workforce. A weekly amount is taken out of workers’ pay for the card. According to Bob Constable, AMWU delegate at Victoria Barracks in Melbourne, this saves workers an upfront cost of hundreds of dollars for the card at the beginning of the year.“If you catch public transport to work, a yearly travel card saves you

a substantial amount of money, but it’s a big outlay for a lot of people. This is a way

that makes it affordable for people.”AMWU National TSA Secretary, Mike Nicolaides,

said the condition was part of a very hard won union

collective agreement, but was an important issue.

“People are becoming more and more conscious of the environment

and want to do their bit. And people are always interested in saving a few

dollars too.“As union members, we understand

that we’ve got to keep the planet going for our kids.”

getting rid of the 30 day book rule would result

in cheaper books in effect means not paying

some of the people who have worked on the

production chain,º Maloney says.

ªThere were a large number of authors who

got together and we decided to put our own

submission into the Productivity Commission.

This was important to us on so many levels. In

terms of jobs, for instance, the whole town of

Maryborough would have been hugely affected.º

Maloney also supports the argument that this move would have hurt Australian culture.

ªMy books that are published in the US are Americanised and the language is changed. So parallel importation would mean the Americanised version of my books stripped of their local colour and vernacular would flood the market. And I wouldn't want that.º

Shane Maloney is an award winning crime-fiction writer whose books are based in the labour movement. For a great laugh, we recommend you read his 2001 speech to Scotch College which you can find on his website www.shanemaloney.com

AMWU Delegate, Bob Constable

AMWUNEWS6

Coates Hire workers achieve agreement under pressure

Coates Hire workers recently voted on a new union collective agreement

after months of intense negotiations between the employer and the AMWU. AMWU National Industrial Officer, Don Sutherland, said that preparations for the new agreement began in October 2008 and the negotiations were conducted in the shadow of the economic downturn.

ªWe had a number of difficulties to confront in our campaign. It is now owned by National Hire and the Carlisle group, an American private equity company. We also had low levels of union membership in many areas and the new owners were pursuing redundancies late last year.

Mr Sutherland said the priority of the union in the first instance was to talk to the workers and build union density so that they could bargain from a position of strength.

ªThe initial position of the company was to take away annual leave conditions, freeze wages and reduce standards overall.

ªWhen we presented our log of claims, they told us it would cause 350 redundancies.”

According to Mr Sutherland, the company's use of the flexibility clause in the existing agreement to impose new working times annoyed many of the workers and many of them started to join the union.

ªThey could see that things were getting tough and they needed to help themselves. It was not an easy task recruiting the workers: there are after all 1000 workers in 181 yards around Australia, with some workplaces employing just two or three people.”

The workers and delegates were keen to deal with the proposed redundancies before embarking on negotiating a new agreement and the AMWU was able to reduce the proposed redundancies from 175 to 41, 11 of which were voluntary. When the negotiations began in earnest, the workers rejected the company's pay freeze and their plans to reduce annual leave - even when the company suggested it would only apply to new employees. Workers voted to take industrial action while at the same time they voted in a separate ballot rejecting the company's offer. The company returned to the table realising the workers meant business.

Mr Sutherland said that the workers determination to stand together delivered an agreement with improvements in conditions and pay far superior to what the company was initially offering.

“We were able to defend our conditions, including 5 weeks annual leave. Despite their offer of a wage freeze, we won wage increases of 2%, 4%, and 5% for the next three years, as well as having those increases applied to all allowances.”

ªIn this long, drawn out campaign with huge obstacles, it was the workers and delegates who were able to secure a win through standing strong.” ■

The agreement being pushed by

the company was one of the worse

I'd ever seen, said Mr Hall.

“

NEWS

New laws help workers who dare to winDebra Middington admits

it took some bravery for workers to attend the first few meetings with the AMWU at her workplace in February 2009.ªWe would meet with the union organiser in the park across the road and management would have a look at who was attending.

ªIt made it hard for a lot of workers to attend.º

The company Ultra Trace, a laboratory in Canning Vale, West Australia refused to allow the union on the premises for months despite phone calls from workers expressing interest in joining the union.

Organiser Tony Hall said he and other organisers stood outside the workplace handing out flyers in the first instance

and he noticed that some people were reluctant to be seen talking to the union.

ªWe didn't get very far initially, but a number of workers in the company talked up the benefits of the union and when we returned in April we had success in recruiting large numbers of workers.º

Despite this, the company ignored the union's request for a meeting to negotiate a union agreement and used the old WorkChoices laws to keep them out.

Then in July, the Labor Government's new `Fair Work' system became law and the workers were able to insist that the company recognise the AMWU as their bargaining representative.

ªThe agreement being pushed by the

company was one of the worse I'd ever seenº, said Mr Hall.

ªIt was voted down by a two thirds majority of the workers.º

A new union collective agreement was negotiated which addressed some important issues such as overtime and rostering.

Ms Middington said the agreement was an improvement on what the company was offering, but she believes that they can do better the next time around.

ªThis is just the beginning. There are many workers who are completely new to the concept of unionism, completely new to the idea that they can have a say.

ªWhat I say to them is: We have to work together to make the next agreement even better.º ■

AMWUNEWS 7

NEWS

Sydney's iconic ferries look set to remain in

public hands after the NSW ALP Conference supported the wishes of a community campaign led by AMWU members.In November last year, AMWU delegates to the Conference moved a resolution to prevent the Rees Government from privatising state assets without specific approval. The motion received unanimous support from the Conference.

Chris Moutter, AMWU delegate at the Balmain Shipyards, spoke at the Conference and said he was heartened by the response.

ªI thought the issue would be passed over, but there was such overwhelming support for our position.º

Mr Moutter has been active in the Save our Sydney Ferries campaign for two years.

Along with delegates and members from other unions, he has lobbied politicians, organised public meetings and spoken to thousands of ferry commuters.

ªOut of two hundred people I would speak to in a day, only two might say they didn't care or that they supported privatisation. There is massive support for public ownership of the ferries.º

At a recent public meeting of over 400 people in Balmain, local parliamentarians pledged their support for public ownership.

ªPeople know that once the system's in private hands, fares will go up, services down and maintenance will not be up to scratch.

ªPrivate ownership is about making profits, not providing the best service to the public.º

AMWU NSW Secretary, Paul Bastian, said the decision of the Conference was clear.

ªIf the government wants to privatise, it has to do it through a full consultative process. They cannot just sneak this through at a Cabinet meetingº, he said.

ªThey will need to set up a proper committee, hold public hearings, prepare a full report, answer all the issues and then seek approval.''

ªThere can be no privatisation

without consideration of things

like the impact on employment,

skills, training and conditions

and protection of the workforce,

protection of entitlements and

on disadvantaged groups in the

community.º ■

Save Our Sydney FerriesSydney Ferries delegate Chris Moutter speaks at a

protest rally outside New South Wales ALP conference.

Hybrid Camry a win for jobs and auto industry future

The first Australian-built, hybrid engine car was launched in December by

Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. The Hybrid Toyota Camry, which is built at Altona, in Victoria, is the first of its kind in Australia and is a major step forward for the Australian auto industry. AMWU Vehicle Division National Secretary, Ian Jones, said that the Hybrid Camry paved the way for greener cars and would help reposition the automotive industry in Australia.

ªThe fact that the Hybrid Camry will now be manufactured in Australia is a major boon for our economy and the Australian automotive industry.

ªIt shows we are taking note of the cars that people will be driving in the future, and the Hybrid is a flagship example of tomorrow's answer to today's concerns about climate change.

ªWe can thank the Rudd Government and the Industry Minister, Kim Carr, for the investment and foresight that has helped this industry get off the ground in Australia.

The Hybrid Camry will be around 30% more

fuel-efficient and produce around 30% fewer emissions than a standard Toyota Camry.

At least 10 000 vehicles will be produced each year, mostly for sale in Australia, with around 300 to be exported to New Zealand.

ªProduction of the Hybrid Camry is expected to inject around $90 million into the Victorian and South Australian automotive parts industries and support jobs at Toyota's suppliersº, the Prime Minister said in a joint statement with Industry Minister, Kim Carr.

ªThe Australian Government is supporting

the production of the vehicle with $35 million in funding from the $1.3 billion Green Car Innovation Fund, a key element of A New Car Plan for a Greener Future. The Victorian Government also made a significant contribution.

ªThe government is working with other Australian car and component manufacturers on ways to build cleaner, greener cars that reduce carbon emissions and improve fuel efficiencyº, said Mr Rudd and Mr Carr.

More than 50 hybrid-unique parts will be sourced from local suppliers.

The Altona plant is one of only five Toyota plants in the world manufacturing the Hybrid Camry.

AMWU National Secretary, Dave Oliver, said the launch was proof that the government's auto industry plan was working.

ªLaunching new green initiatives like these ensures growth in terms of trade, technology and most importantly, jobsº, he said.

ªWe encourage the Rudd Government to continue its commitment to research and development, innovation and green technologies in the automotive industry and other areas of manufacturing.º ■

Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd and Industry Minister, Kim Carr, inspect the new Hybrid Camry.

AMWUNEWS8

FEATURE

Strength in numbers

It was like taking a butter knife to a gunfight. That's how AMWU delegate, Tony Head, saw things when management at Hastings

Deering said they wanted to start negotiating a new collective agreement with the workers. It was September 2008 and union membership in the company was just 38% across more than 20 sites in Queensland and the Northern Territory.

He and fellow delegate, David Brook, knew they had a problem.

ªWe said to each other, `we cannot go out there and negotiate with 38% membership'. We need to be in a stronger position particularly given the economic climateº, says David who plays the straight man to Tony's larrikin character.

The two delegates, both Queensland born-and-bred, had been through the AMWU education courses and attended State Council where union density was identified as a priority.

ªThis wasn't a theoretical issue that applied to some other workplace. We were living itº, says Tony.

Both passionate advocates for workers' rights and social justice, David and Tony have been active union members for many years. Tony joined the union when he finished his apprenticeship in the sugar industry in Mackay and David joined the union as soon as he started at Hastings Deering.

When the State Council identified Hastings Deering as a site that needed to grow, the two delegates threw themselves into the campaign.

ªThe first thing we did, Tony says, ªis speak to the other delegates and active members throughout the state and explain that we can't go and negotiate anything much on these numbersº.

ªRohan Webb (Queensland Assistant Secretary) suggested that all of us delegates get together and everything grew from that meeting. We

approached people and told them we needed their help. Some came to us. We said It's time to step up. We need you to become more active. And they did.º

According to David, they were upfront with the workers and members from the outset.

ªWe said we could get an agreement, but what kind of agreement would it be? How could we take industrial action if we needed to when 62% of us were not in the union?º

With the other delegates, Tony and David spent hours mapping the workplace and identifying where union membership was low and where they needed to focus.

Then came the hard part: actually doing it.

ªAt first, it's really hard to actually ask someone to join the union. Especially if you think they'll say no. So you've got to pluck up a bit of courage to do itº, says Tony.

If you're prepared, most people don't say no." David says.

ªWe would ask two questions; `Are you a member of the union?' If the response was no: `would you like to be?'

The logic is simple: Who represents the worker? The boss doesn't. The union does.

ªThe trick is getting people to do it. There was a whole team of delegates who did this across the sites, says Tony. ªWe all did it together and there is no way we would have been successful without the effort of those 40 delegates and activists.º

With membership growing steadily, the delegates had to work even harder and start negotiating the new agreement.

When they sat down to their first formal negotiation meeting on Friday

AMWU membership at Hastings Deering increased to 66% of the workplace near the end of negotiations in September, and is still growing. If your workplace faces a similar siutation, start talking to your co-workers about joining the union, and talk to your organiser if you need help getting started.

“Queensland Assistant Secretary, Rohan Webb: Strategic planning was key to building union density at Hastings Deering.

After signing up 500 members during a twelve month campaign, Hastings Deering delegates explain the importance of recruitment to successful bargaining.

AMWUNEWS 9

FEATURE

13 March, 2009, the employer faced a formidable team that knew they had the backing of the majority of the workforce behind them.

ªWe started by raising the outstanding issues that had not been dealt with in the last agreementº, says Tony.

This included adult apprenticeship rates of pay, a competency system being abused by the company, housing and a production bonus in the mines.

To make things tougher, the negotiations took place under the pressure of the economic downturn and with many new members participating in a union negotiation for the first time.

Newly elected delegate, Andrew Bell, from the coal mines in Moranbah was conscious of the factors at play at the negotiating table.

ªThe experience for me was an eye opener and I enjoyed the whole process, but it was compounded by the fact that we were in the middle of a recession.º

Despite these difficulties, the increase in membership gave them the strength to resolve the outstanding issues before moving on to the new agreement, and eventually putting a deal to a vote of members that delivered a pay rise and cash bonus - all while other companies were letting workers go.

ªNot every member was happy with what we got, says Tony. ªSome thought we could have held out for more. That's their opinion and this is a democratic union. But we can say that there was not one redundancy from Hastings Deering throughout the downturn, and we still got a good result.

ªThe important thing is that we have laid the foundation. We have got all the consultation processes in our agreement and we are using them strategically now. We are well set up for the future.

ªThe effort we put into increasing our membership was definitely our biggest success.º

Tony was awarded Delegate of the Year by the Queensland Council of Unions and the campaign itself was also awarded as the best campaign for union growth, but Tony and Brooksy believe there still are better times ahead.

ªWhat we've achieved here is the solid foundation on which we need to continue to build for the next agreement and the one after thatº, says Tony.

ªYou won't get anywhere if your destiny is in the boss's hand and you have to work at communicating that to others.º

Both David Brook and Tony Head advise other delegates with a similar situation to take the reins and start the process of building the union in their workplaces. ■

Delegates worked together to coordinate the campaign across Queensland and the Northern Territory

What we've achieved here is the solid foundation on which we need to continue to build for the next agreement and the one after that.

Delegates Barry Searle and Dave Turner prepare for the campaign.

(inset) David Brook and Tony Head

AMWUNEWS10

State and National Conferences in 2010

NEWS

July, 2010 will see the Union's National Conference held in Queensland. The conference is the supreme governing body of

the union. The meeting of the union's elected conference delegates will be an opportunity to evaluate and develop the growth strategies the union has been implementing and set the union's agenda for the next two years.Submission of agenda items for the conference should be marked `National Conference', and sent to the National Secretary, AMWU, PO BOX 160, Granville NSW 2142. Submissions will close on 11 June 2010.

State branch conferences in 2010 have been set for:

NSW: Thursday 20 and Friday 21 May

All agenda items must be submitted by Wednesday 7 April

VIC: Thursday 29 and Friday 30 April

All agenda items must be submitted by Wednesday 17 March

QLD: Thursday 13 and Friday 14 May

All agenda items must be submitted by Wednesday 31 March

SA: Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 May

All agenda items must be submitted by Monday 29 March

WA: Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 May

All agenda items must be submitted by Tuesday 13 April

TAS: Thursday 13 and Friday 14 May

All agenda items must be submitted by Wednesday 31 March

Submission of agenda items for the State Conferences should be marked `State Conference', and sent to the State Secretary care of the AMWU Office in your State.

Union dues for 2010 have been set in line with National Conference policy

AMWU Dues 2010

and are as per the table displayed on this page. The change in dues takes into account inflation and other costs crucial to the union's continued effectiveness and strength as an organising and campaigning union. Further details on the Union's dues can be received by calling the AMWU Helpdesk on 1300 732 698.

Pensioners seek `Fair go'

Organising works for AMWU

“ The AMWU would like to congratulate our latest graduates of the ACTU `organising

works' program. Pictured with certificates are Jeremy Young from Qld, Lily Ke Hui Yin

and Cuong Ngyuen from NSW and Vince Fryer from WA, with AMWU Qld Secretary, Andrew Dettmer, National Secretary, Dave

Oliver and President, Julius Roe.

The AMWU Retired Members' Division, has taken its campaign for a just age pension another step forward after winning an increase for single pensioners in the 2009 Federal Budget. At the Fair Go for Pensioners' National Conference in November in Canberra (pictured), RMD Secretary Frank Cherry successfully moved a resolution to set a goal of having pensions tied to 35% of average male

weekly earnings.

ªFurther increases for singles and for couples are necessary to guarantee that pensioners can maintain their health and participate in contemporary Australian societyº, he said.

To highlight the ongoing demand for improved living standards for pensioners the Fair Go for Pensioners, Coalition will hold local rallies and meetings in the lead up to the Federal Election.

National roundtable eyes future for manufacturing

In October a national manufacturing roundtable

in Canberra brought key government, industry and union leaders together to map out a future for Australian manufacturing.

The roundtable was a key step forward in the Manufacturing Alliance campaign organised by the AMWU and the AWU.

The roundtable was opened by Industry Minister, Kim Carr, chaired by the Dean of the Faculty

of Business at the University of Technology Sydney, Professor Roy Green, and attended by over 30 senior company executives from the nation's largest manufacturing firms.

The meeting demonstrated a shift to a more co-operative, collaborative approach between workers, government and business.

ªThis is a meeting that would not have been possible two years agoº, said AMWU National Secretary, Dave Oliver.

ªToday we have seen how much more can be achieved by working together in comparison to the confrontational, hostile environment encouraged by the last Liberal Government.º he said.

Participants discussed major areas

of cooperation to form the basis of a new strategy for manufacturing in the years ahead.

Key success factors identified to sustain a high growth strategy for Australian manufacturing include building better manufacturing businesses, successful global engagement, boosting key industries and growing productivity through collaboration.

Dave Oliver said that the forum had opened up a dialogue which would be good for workers and industry.

"We need to also focus on the industries of the future, and strategies that will build on our manufacturing base and which exploit our know-how and wealth of innovation.º ■

AMWUNEWS 11

NEWS

“The roundtable was a key step forward

in the Manufacturing Alliance campaign

organised by the AMWU and the AWU.

Alliance push for manufacturing jobs

AMWU National Secretary Dave Oliver and AWU National Secretary

Paul Howes visited workers in West Australia, Tasmania and South Australia during the last three months of 2009, calling for better government procurement policy and measures to encourage innovation in Australia's manufacturing industry and create jobs.The joint AMWU-AWU Manufacturing Alliance campaign is urging all governments, state and federal, to implement a procurement policy that gives Australian manufacturers the ability to supply large scale infrastructure projects and tenders.In his address to workers in Kwinana, West Australia, Mr Oliver was critical of the use of international aluminium for the Gorgon Gas project and Chinese aluminium for the Oakajee Prot development project.ª31 000 manufacturing workers live in this region and if Australian industry gets a fair go on local content there should be a jobs surge in the next five years with booming resources sector investmentº, Mr Oliver said.In Tasmania, where the two union leaders met with workers from Cement Australia in Railton, Mr Oliver said all Australian companies needed a fair go from the government to stem the job losses in the manufacturing sector.ªTimes are tough for manufacturing firms. Over 2000 full time manufacturing jobs have been lost in Tasmania over the last year, and 77 000 jobs have disappeared nationwide over the past year.ªThe Manufacturing Alliance campaign is about creating jobs in critical manufacturing

industries after the damage done by years of economic degradation and neglect by the previous Howard Government.ªThe Rudd Government has indicated that they support a cooperative approach between workers, industry and government in order to bring about the changes and we are determined to play our partº, said Mr Howes. ■

Dave Oliver and Paul Howes speak to members at Alcoa, Kwinana and (above right) Cement Australia, in Tasmania.

NEWS

AMWUNEWS12

The Federal Government's program to simplify or modernise the award

system has been completed, and came into operation on 1 January this year. Most AMWU members will now be covered by one of five new awards, with the exception of those on single business or enterprise awards.The five new awards replace hundreds of old awards, including several major industry awards (see table below).

Award modernisation has been a very lengthy and complex excercise and, with a few exceptions

noted below, the AMWU has been very successful in protecting the conditions and entitlements in its awards. The Union has allocated significant resources to the project through its National Research Centre based in Sydney supported by Officials across Australia.

The award system will continue to set the minimum standard and union collective agreements will continue to increase conditions above the award. Because some clauses in the new awards have changed, your next collective agreement may need to have its clauses adjusted to maintain conditions.

The AMWU has already provided a bargaining manual to all delegates and is training delegates to ensure you don't miss out because of the changes.

As each modern award is the result of consolidation of many previous awards, some members will find that they now share an award with workers from various other industries. This will be most apparent to metal workers as they now share the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2010 with

workers including those, but not limited to, the technical services, glue and gelatine, rubber plastic and cable making, brush and broom making, insulation materials, and paint manufacturing industries.

The AMWU made extensive submissions to the award modernisation process. While some workers will gain better conditions as a result of the modernisation, some entitlements were not carried over from some awards.

The Australian Industrial Relations Commission has attempted to address the increase/decrease of conditions by inserting transitional clauses in the modern awards, but only with respect to:

■ Minimum wages;

■ Casual or part-time loadings;

■ Weekend, public holiday, evening and other penalties; and

■ Shift allowances.

In addition to these transitional provisions, any worker who finds their take home pay is significantly reduced is entitled to make an application to Fair Work Australia (FWA) for a take home pay order. The union can assist you with this process, if required. If a take home pay order is made, the employer will be required to pay the worker an amount or amounts that the FWA considers appropriate to remedy the situation.

It is crucial that you speak to your organiser if you are concerned that your entitlements have decreased or been lost from your old award. These entitlements can be restored by including them in your union collective agreement. ■

The new award system and what it means for you

Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2010

Graphic Arts, Printing and Publishing Award 2010

Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award 2010

Vehicle Manufacturing, Repair, Service and Retail Award 2010

Building and Construction General On-site Award 2010

Metal, Engineering and Associated Industries Award 1998

Draughting, Production Planners and Technical Workers Award 1998Graphic Arts (General) Award 2000Country Publishing and Printing Award 2002Regional Daily Newspapers (Printing) Award 2001

Food Preservers Award 2000Confectionery Award 2002

Vehicle Industry Award 2000Vehicle Industry Repair, Service and Retail Award 2002

National Metal and Engineering and On-Site Construction Work Award 2002

Modern award Common AMWU award replaced by modern award in the 1st column

The AMWU is already training delegates to understand the new award system

In direct response to campaigning by the AMWU, the

Federal Government has set up a $100 million scheme to boost apprenticeships available to young workers.

The Apprentice Kickstart program will provide an additional incentive payment of $3350 to employers who take on apprentices aged 19 years or under in traditional trades between 1 December 2009 and 28 February 2010.

The payment will be in addition to the incentives already available to eligible employers.

AMWU National President, Julius Roe, who co-chaired the committee that recommended the government take action said, ªThis package is crucial to counteract the dramatic 25% fall in Australian apprenticeship

commencements and retention caused by the global recession.

ªIf we do not increase apprentice numbers, Australia will again face a skills shortage and employers will use the opportunity undercut wages by increasing temporary immigration and partial-trade training.º

It is crucial that AMWU members understand the importance and urgency of this program. Delegates and members across the country must ensure that your employer uses this program and takes on new apprentices.

The AMWU has sent further information on the program to delegates and AMWU National Apprentice Kickstart Coordinator, Cory Wright, is available to assist AMWU members with information and implementation of this program at

your workplace. Cory's contact details are: cory.wright@amwu.asn.au (02) 49 292 644 or 0408 967 836.

AMWU National President, Julius Roe, said urgent action was required to stem the decline, assist young people to enrol in apprenticeships and prevent a skills shortage.

ªThe AMWU will take action to use the Kickstart program to lift traditional trades and apprenticeship numbers. This is an important initiative for the future of apprenticeships.º

ªWe need to play a role in arresting the decline so that we have young people trained in skilled work - for their benefit and for the benefit of industry in Australia.º

Further information is also available from the Helpdesk on 1300 732 698 or from www.amwu.org.au ■

Program to kickstart apprenticeshipsIf we do not

increase apprentice numbers, Australia

will again face a skills shortage and employers will use

the opportunity undercut wages

by increasing temporary

immigration and partial-trade

training.

“

NEWS

AMWUNEWS 13

Employers must no longer stand in the way of equal pay for Australian women

With average female pay still at least 17% lower than for men, it is clear that business self-regulation has failed

and new mandatory requirements are needed, says the ACTU.In November, ACTU President Sharan Burrow welcomed recommendations from a Federal Parliamentary committee to introduce annual pay equity audits requiring companies to reveal how many women are employed and their pay rates compared with those of men.

But tougher regulations on business are needed to prevent unequal remuneration, including performance improvement notices and mandatory action plans, Ms Burrow said.

The committee's recommendation for gender and equal remuneration principles to be considered when industrial awards are upgraded by Fair Work Australia, including the federal minimum wage case, is a positive step.

But unions also want to see a Pay Equity Commissioner established within Fair Work Australia to gather data, monitor and investigate equity in pay, conditions and benefits.

The World Economic Forum's annual Global Gender Gap Index recently revealed a disturbing trend for Australian women, who are slipping further down world rankings on key indicators of labour force participation and wage equality.

ªIt’s 40 years since the first equal pay test case, yet women still lag well behind men in the Australian workforceº, Ms Burrow said.

ªWomen went backwards or stood still on pay, workforce participation and access to senior executive positions under the former Coalition Government.

ªOver the course of her career, an Australian woman will earn $1 million less than a man, and will retire with less than half the savings in her superannuation account.

ªEmployers have had four decades to correct this inequity. They've shown they can’t do it voluntarily, so it is time for tougher regulations.

ªBut already employers are gearing up to oppose equal pay for women for the simple reason that they don't want to pay women any more. We cannot allow claims about red tape to stand in the way of fairness and equality.º Unions are calling for action on women's pay and career opportunities by businesses and governments.

Unions are also undertaking a major industrial campaign with a major new test case in Fair Work Australia that could lift the pay of workers in the female-dominated social and community services sector by more than $100 a week.

It is wrong that workers in the sector have historically been underpaid simply because their jobs were undervalued and seen as women's work, Ms Burrow said. ■

Our members are saying it's not just about equal pay and paid maternity leave. They want the same opportunities that the men get to advance their skills in their workplace.

AMWU members have called on the union to launch a campaign to assist

women with career progression in the manufacturing industry.The initiative was a result of an AMWU women's conference held in Brisbane in October and attended by 44 women delegates, activists and members where a lack of career opportunities for women workers was made a priority issue.

AMWU Industrial Officer, Katelyn Allen, said that as more women join the union and become active, different issues are being raised that the union must take on board.

ªOur members are saying it's not just about

equal pay and paid maternity leave. They want the same opportunities that the men get to advance their skills in their workplace.º

National Secretary, Dave Oliver, who spoke to the conference said that opportunities and recognition was a key issue for many members, and helping women get better outcomes was important.

"We know that when we achieve things for members, we build credibility with them. Career progression and proper recognition is both a bargaining opportunity and a recruitment opportunity.º

Attendees of the conference were from a range

of workplaces all over Queensland and the Northern Territory. Conference participants said that many women had increased their self-esteem and job satisfaction as a result of being in the AMWU.

Leanna Howard, from the Northern Territory, described it as an eye-opening experience.

ªIt was great to see the wide range of jobs represented and the stories we all shared about how we're treated. I really enjoyed it.

ªI came away with a sense of camaraderie and more knowledge of the union and what it does.

ªI feel that I'm not alone.º ■

Campaign to advance women in manufacturingThe AMWU Women’s Conference in Brisbane

AMWUNEWS14

GLOBAL

After four months of intense struggle between

Toshiba workers and management in Indonesia, 697 workers have been re-instated. Toshiba management locked out and dismissed the workers after they went on strike in April over the right to collectively bargain.

The AMWU played a major role in supporting the Federasi Serikat Metal Indonesia (FSPMI) during the dispute and were the biggest contributors to the strike fund set up to assist the workers during this critical dispute.

AMWU National President, Julius Roe, said the AMWU proposed the strike fund to the International Metalworkers Federation (IMF).

“We need to support workers in developing countries who are fighting for basic union rights against multinational companies. Companies use countries without laws to protect their workers to undercut our conditions, so it’s

not only the right thing for us to struggle with those workers – their struggle is our struggle.

“They don’t have the financial resources to fight multinational companies that show total disregard of workers’ rights.”

Contributions from the strike fund meant that the Indonesian union was able to offer three hot meals per day for the striking workers and their families and pay some of their medical bills.

Toshiba was condemned by the international union movement and the IMF played a key role in bringing management back to negotiations with its workforce.

Toshiba workers launched a peaceful, legal strike in April this year after the company refused to register the mutually agreed provisions of the collective agreement. The company immediately locked out and dismissed the workers, the majority of them women who have worked for the company since it was established twelve

years ago.

In response to the strike the company cancelled the health insurance scheme and stopped wage payments to the workers, which led to severe hardship and suffering among the workers. One of the members died due to a lack of medical treatment during the strike. The Manpower Ministry ordered the company to immediately reinstate the workers with full wages but the company refused to heed this advice.

The company, in an apparent attempt to seek revenge and punish the union leadership and workers, also filed several criminal charges against union leaders and a law suit for US$ 1.6 million damages against the FSPMI for loss of production and business. These charges, and charges brought by the union against the company, have been dropped.

FSPMI President, Said Iqbal, said that though the union

fought very hard under extremely difficult conditions, the deal reached is the best they could negotiate.

“Justice was trampled when the Labour Court decided in favour of the company despite the fact the union launched a legal strike,” he said.

“This company does not respect local laws and rules and, to add insult to injury, the Labour Court is corrupt.”

Mr Roe said the AMWU raised this matter at the IMF Congress in May where a resolution was moved to make the Toshiba workers a priority.

“This is a relatively new union and from very small beginnings it has grown rapidly with 30% of its membership made up of women in the Free Trade Zone.

“It was crucial for us to encourage this union in their struggle for justice in a difficult and corrupt system.” ■

Toshiba workers return to work

with huge international

support

The company, in an apparent attempt to seek revenge and punish the union leadership and workers, also filed several criminal charges against union leaders and a law suit for US$ 1.6 million damages against the FSPMI for loss of production.

AMWUNEWS 15

Hardies could happen again

There is nothing to stop another company mistreating its workers

the way James Hardie did, according to the author of a new book on the Hardies scandal. ABC journalist Matt Peacock's book Killer Company is a detailed, immaculately researched account of how James Hardie almost got away with not paying compensation to thousands of workers who contracted mesothelioma as a result of working with the company or handling their product.

After writing the book, Mr Peacock believes that Australia needs tougher laws to prevent the kind of subterfuge and immoral behaviour that James Hardie engaged in.

This company knew for years that asbestos killed. They were first sued in 1939 and the mesothelioma link was clear in the late 1950s and the early 1960s.

This is a company that had x-rays of its workforce, details of which were not revealed to the people concerned. They never told people that they were sick.

In Killer Company, Peacock reveals how James Hardie used the best lawyers in the country to get away with what they had done.

Mr Peacock has been covering the asbestos issue for over thirty years and first received acclaim in this area for an award-winning

program in 1977 on the ABC's Science Report.

He believes the work of the AMWU and the old Builders Labourers' Federation were instrumental in raising the alarm on asbestos.

ªBy placing bans on asbestos and demanding safety measures, they put a lot of pressure on the company and on government.º

While Kevin Rudd proclaimed that the book should be compulsory reading for every business leader in Australia, Mr Peacock said this needs to be followed up with laws to prevent another company from behaving in this way again.

ªThe inadequacy of our laws were really shown up by the Hardie's case. Nobody's ever been charged in the company for the thousands of people they killed.

ªJohn Reid, the man who presided over James Hardie for 23 years during which time they knew they were causing the deaths of so many workers has never explained what he did and why.

ªI agree with Bernie Banton that John Reid should be made to front up to a court and explain himself.

ªThey made lots of money on the suffering of an estimated 20 000 victims. Why is no one made to answer to this?º ■

Killer Company by Matt Peacock, is published by Harper Collins. RRP $35.00

Addressing climate change will result in hundreds

of billions of dollars in new investment in clean energy technologies, and a wide range of more environmentally friendly goods and services. This is already happening and the trend will accelerate.It is somewhat ironic therefore that just as the second decade of the 21st century ushers in a boom in new investments to reduce co2, Australia will celebrate the largest resources boom in its history. This investment boom in coal, iron ore, uranium, coal seam gas, LNG and other resources is already underway and will feed the growth and urbanisation of China, India and other emerging nations as well as the transitional energy demand of developed nations.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently outlined the scale of the coming investment boom over the 2010-2030 period in global energy (power generation, transport fuels etc). Under a business-as-usual

approach where the world doesn't do much to address climate change, around $26 trillion will be invested (measured in 2008 US dollars). If the world does move to reduce emissions to minimise the rise in global temperatures, the investment in energy over the 2010-2030 decade will be more than $36 trillion.

Under either of the IEA scenarios it is almost a certainty that an Australian resources boom will occur over the next decade. The challenge for Australian manufacturing is to ensure we benefit from both the investment boom in traditional energy as well as the investment boom in cleantech (including renewables such as wind, solar etc).

Our manufacturing industry is already facing challenges in terms of realising the benefits from these two investment booms. For example, in recent times we haven't been as successful as we should be in getting orders for Australian steel fabricated in Australian factories into desalination plants, wind farms or large LNG projects such as the Gorgon project.

In addition, whenever we have a traditional mining boom the Australian dollar rises - usually past US$.90 - making imports cheaper and making it harder for our manufacturing exporters to win international business opportunities.

Part of the problem is that big multinational firms aren't giving Australian industry a fair chance to compete and win business. Another part of the problem is that Australian

manufacturing isn't investing enough to modernise and position itself for the two energy investment booms of the next decade and beyond. As Tim Colebatch pointed out in The Age newspaper in November, manufacturing investment in new factories, plant and equipment in this decade (as a share of the Australian economy) was at its lowest levels in 60 years. We also know that our investment in R&D needs to grow more strongly if we want to get our fair share of the coming investment booms in traditional and new forms of energy.

At the end of the day we will only get our fair share of the opportunities if we have policies that give Australian manufacturing a full and fair opportunity to win orders and if our manufacturers invest in new factories, plant, equipment and R&D as well as engineering/design capability and the skills of its workers.

New investment is the lifeblood of Australian manufacturing and we need a new plan for the new decade to get that investment. ■

Economics with Nixon Apple

The inadequacy of our laws were really shown up by the Hardie's case. Nobody's ever been charged in the company for the thousands of people they killed.

If the world does move to reduce emissions

to minimise the rise in global temperatures the

investment in energy over the 2010-2030 decade will be more than $36 trillion.

“

AMWU National OfficeLocation: Level 4,133 Parramatta Road, Granville Postal: PO Box 160, Granville, NSW 2142 ....................................................... (02) 9897 9133 2nd Floor, 251 Queensberry St, Carlton South, VIC 3053 ........................................................ (03) 9230 5700

NSW BranchLocation: Level 1, 133 Parramatta Road, Granville Postal: PO Box 167, Granville, NSW 2142 ..................................................... (02) 9897 2011 Albury/Wodonga ........................................... (02) 6024 1099 Newcastle .......................................................(02) 4929 2644 Western Region .............................................. (02) 6337 7162 Wollongong .................................................... (02) 4229 7611

VIC Branch1st Floor, 251 Queensberry St, Carlton South, VIC 3053 ........................................................ (03) 9230 5700

Albury/Wodonga ............................................ (02) 6024 1099 Ballarat ........................................................... (03) 5332 2910 Bendigo .......................................................... (03) 5442 5101 Dandenong ..................................................... (03) 9701 3044 Geelong ..........................................................(03) 5229 9358 Latrobe ........................................................... (03) 5134 3306 Portland ......................................................... (03) 5523 2525 Shepparton .................................................... (03) 5822 2510

QLD BranchLocation: 366 Upper Roma Street, Brisbane Postal: PO Box 13006 George Street, QLD 4003 ........................................................(07) 3236 2550 Mackay ...........................................................(07) 4953 0550 Rockhampton ................................................. (07) 4927 1487 Townsville ...................................................... (07) 4771 5960

SA Branch1st Floor 229 Greenhill Road, Dulwich,

SA 5065 .........................................................(08) 8366 5800Whyalla .......................................................... (08) 8645 7115 WA Branch121 Royal Street, East Perth, WA 6004 .........................................................(08) 9223 0800 Bunbury .......................................................... (08) 9721 7933 Henderson....................................................... (08) 9410 1400

TAS Branch28 Station Street, Moonah, TAS 7009 .......................................................(03) 6228 7099Devonport ...................................................... (03) 6424 7177

ACT OfficeCanberra .........................................................(02) 6273 2412

NT Office1st Floor, 38 Woods Street, Darwin NT 0800 ...........................................................(08) 8941 1511

contact the website for news and views www.amwu.org.au email amwu@amwu.asn.au

PROFILE

Jade LeesAMWU Delegate, Coates Hire, Queensland

Our agreement expired right in the middle

of the downturn. It was a tough time for

us. There were redundancies, the company

was crying poor, they were imposing new

work times, talking wage freezes and cuts to

our conditions. I was a union member, but I

hesitated in taking on the delegate's role. Only

trouble was we had no delegate in Queensland

and I felt that the Queensland workers

deserved a voice. So I became the delegate.

It was a hard nine months of negotiating, but

it paid off as a lot more workers joined the

union. I learned a lot from this experience

and I wouldn't change it for anything. I like

my fellow workers to know their rights. We're

working for a multinational company that

makes millions out of the work we do. I just

want people to enjoy working for Coates Hire

and to get the benefits they deserve.

“

ESSENTIALCONTACTS

AMWU usesGreenhouse Friendly™Envi Carbon Neutral Paper

Envi is an Australian Governmentcertified Greenhouse Friendly™ Product.