BY CHRIS SLEE
MELBOURNE — Members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) employed in power stations in the Latrobe Valley stopped work for several hours on the night of November 2, causing power blackouts in many parts of Victoria.
The strike followed 18 months of negotiations over a new enterprise agreement, and the leaking to the Melbourne Age of secret Yallourn Energy documents revealing the company had considered plans to lock out its workforce, sack up to 262 employees and hire contractors.
The CFMEU's Latrobe Valley branch secretary, Luke Van Der Meulen, said the decision of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission to end the bargaining period had forced the hand of the workers. "We had no choice. We cannot stand by and watch out jobs go, and see our community decimated."
Over the last decade, employment in the power industry has declined from 11,000 workers to less than 3000. The Latrobe Valley has one of the highest rates of unemployment in Australia.
The strike was predictably condemned by Liberal and Labor politicians. But it was also condemned by trade union officials. CFMEU joint state secretary John Van Camp said the snap strike was not supported by the union's head office. Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Leigh Hubbard said, "We understand their frustration", but nevertheless described the strike as "unacceptable".
The Australian Services Union, which did not participate in the snap strike on November 2, has given three days notice of intention to take industrial action in support of demands for no compulsory redundancies, no lockout, and no sale or leasing of the Yallourn mine. (Yallourn Energy's secret documents revealed that the company has considered selling its mining operations to transport company Linfox. Former Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Bill Kelty, now a director of Linfox, was named in the documents as playing a key role in the restructuring plans).