BY MATTHEW RICH
MELBOURNE — Twenty-five electricians at Smorgon Steel have ended their strike, in pursuit of a new enterprise agreement, after 227 days. The dispute is the longest in the history of the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), which covers the workers involved. Industrial action has ended but the struggle is not over.
The workers, who are not directly employed by Smorgon Steel, work for two electrical contracting companies, IES and TAD/ADECCO.
The workers have decided to use the compulsory arbitration provisions of the Workplace Relations Act to bring Smorgon Steel before the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC).
This process involves two stages, the first stage being a conciliation hearing; if an agreement is not reached between Smorgon and the ETU, the IRC will make a binding ruling. The workers chose this avenue because Smorgon Steel would not negotiate with them.
Through this process, the workers will continue to fight for a new agreement, which includes a 36-hour work week. The 36-hour work week is the industry standard for electrical contracting.
Currently, the 25 workers are back on the payroll but not yet back at work. Smorgon Steel has indicated that it is willing to employ, through contracting companies, only 10 of the workers. The ETU is fighting to ensure that all the workers keep their job.
ETU organiser Gerry Glover told Green Left Weekly: "This is the longest dispute in the history of the ETU nationally. The whole union movement is proud of these guys for fighting for workers' conditions. The employers and the federal government should realise that if they want to take unions on, we will not back down."
From Green Left Weekly, October 15, 2003.
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