Arnott's workers the 'innocent victims'
By James Vassilopoulos
Contrary to last week's claim by Arnott's Biscuits' managing director Chris Roberts that the company is the "innocent victim" in the current extortion attempt, the real innocent victims are the hundreds of casual workers laid off by the company.
Two weeks ago, Arnott's received a threat that its biscuits in NSW and Queensland would be poisoned some time after February 17 unless four police officers who gave evidence in the murder trial of Ronald Henry Thomas took public lie detector tests. Arnott's responded by withdrawing its biscuits from supermarket shelves.
On February 16, Roberts said that up to 1000 staff could be stood down. According to a company media release: "Close to 300 casual staff in Adelaide and Brisbane were advised that they were not required for work ... no permanent staff have been stood down or laid off at this time."
An Arnott's spokesperson in Queensland said that while workers had not been stood down, their hours had been reduced.
A source in the Miscellaneous Workers Union Bakery Division, however, told Green Left Weekly that workers had been stood down in Queensland and SA. He said that Arnott's definition of reduced hours included the possibility of zero hours.
While the union is negotiating with Arnott's to minimise the impact on workers, he said, the existence of stand-down provisions in the award means that little can be done to prevent the sackings.
Last year, Arnott's made a profit of $60.9 million. Roberts expects this year's profit to be about the same.