ACI backs down on lockout
BY CHRIS SLEE
MELBOURNE — In a major backdown, ACI has ended its 18-week lockout of workers at its glass mould manufacturing plant in Box Hill. Workers met on April 19 and voted to accept a new enterprise agreement negotiated between the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the company.
The agreement is a major setback for the company, which wanted total management prerogative, including the ability to order workers to change shifts and do whatever job or combination of jobs that management wanted.
The agreement specifies that the company can not order workers to change shifts. It includes a dispute resolution procedure that limits the company's power to make unilateral decisions. While not preventing multi-skilling or multi-machine operation, it imposes some conditions and limits on the process.
The company was forced to make these concessions because of the determination of the workers at Box Hill and the solidarity they received from other workers, especially those at other ACI plants. On April 12 there was a national strike of AMWU members at all ACI plants around Australia.
The agreement includes a 7.5% pay rise over two years and improved long service leave provisions. It expires on April 1, 2002, but will be extended if a campaign by metal industry unions for a common agreement covering the whole of Victoria results in a metal industry agreement which goes beyond that date.
The agreement specifies that there will be no compulsory redundancies, and provides for an increased payout in the event that voluntary redundancies occur.