By Jeremy Smith
MELBOURNE — Members of the AMEU at the Isuzu plant in Dandenong have gone out in protest at the company's refusal to negotiate adequate redundancy packages. Upon news of the plant's closure and Isuzu's shoddy proposals for redundancy, workers downed tools on July 5.
Isuzu plans to lay off 20% of the truck plant's 121-
member work force before the end of July, another 50-60% by March 1994 and the rest when the plant closes in 1995. The workers are angry at the company's package which leaves them with less than 50% of the industry's standard compensation.
Workers on the picket line told Green Left Weekly that comparable packages offered to workers at the neighbouring Toyota and Nissan plants were far fairer. Workers laid off from those companies received up to 60-79 weeks compensation.
Past agreements between unions and Isuzu have produced a 70% improvement in efficiency in four years, one of the highest rates of productivity increase in the industry.
Barry Frazer and Garry Joyce, union reps at Isuzu, told Green Left, " We're out here through a company blunder. They refused to negotiate. There is no confidence in them from the workers. In fact they say that you're worth less than half a Nissan or Toyota worker."
Many of the workers who live in Dandenong have little prospect of future employment in an area with an unemployment rate of 18%. Yet they're determined to fight on for a decent deal from Isuzu. Every day that they remain out, Isuzu loses at least $5000 in production. They intend to stay out indefinitely and force Isuzu back to the negotiating table. Messages of support and donations to the fighting fund can be sent c/- Gayle Tierney, Regional Secretary, AMEU Vehicle Division, 3-11 Howard St, West Melbourne 3003.