An Australian glass company that locked out workers at Christmas and intends to continue the lock-out until May has forbidden employees from seeking other work.
According to a press report, the 81 wo…
An Australian glass company that locked out workers at Christmas and intends to continue the lock-out until May has forbidden employees from seeking other work. According to a press report, the 81 workers from ACI Mould Manufacturing learned recently that they would continue to be unpaid over Easter with the lock-out continuing until May 27. Meanwhile, the company“s solicitors Clayton Utz have written to the workers saying that in spite of the lock-out, they remain contractually bound to ACI. “It is a legal requirement under this contract that you act at all times, in good faith towards the company and that when required you are available to perform work for ACI,” the letter said. Phillip Fehring, who has worked as a storeman for ACI for 20 years, said there were men on a picket-line outside the east suburban plant, who had worked for the company for 30 years. “What they are saying is `We“ll lock you out and you can“t work elsewhere and basically, your families have to starve“,” he said from the picket line. Peter Gibbons, an industrial officer with the Australian Metal Workers Union, said the workers were just “keeping their heads above water”. “The members will be locked out for another two months and our priority is to try and deal with that as best as we can in terms of protecting them,” he said. Gibbons spoke with the company on the worker“s behalf, but said very little progress was made. The AMWU has been trying to negotiate a new enterprise bargaining agreement with ACI since February. The company locked out the workers after they started industrial action and talks with the union continued to stall. A key sticking point in the talks has been the allocation of shifts. A spokesman for ACI confirmed the Box Hill plant had been closed down since the workers were locked out in December. “We can“t have the workers go back to work until we have an agreement on the efficiencies and productivity of the facility,” he said. “The dispute“s rather protracted and with Easter coming we think that“s the period of time that it“s going to take to get a settlement.” The spokesman was unable to comment on workers being forbidden to seek work elsewhere.