Press Release
A leopard that can’t change its spots: Bad boss Esselte about to dump workers
Monday February 11, 2008
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NSW State Secretary Derrick Belan
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The company involved in one of 2007s longest industrial disputes is at it again.
Multi-national stationery giant Esselte has announced that it plans to cut back on its warehouse workers at Minto in Sydney’s south west due to changes to “business processes”. Eight positions are planned to go by the end of February.
Last year Esselte warehouse workers had to strike for 14 weeks against enforced AWAs (Individual Workplace Contracts), this year the same Esselte workers face losing their positions altogether under a redundancy plan so dubious that workers have 15 minutes with the boss to explain why they should keep their jobs.
NUW NSW State Secretary Derrick Belan has raised concerns that the redundancy plan may see the unionised workers face payback and lose their jobs.
“Esselte bosses are saying these redundancies will not be voluntary and decisions will be made on the basis of ‘evaluation processes’.
“We have concerns that the workers who participated in the 14-week strike last year will be turfed out on the basis of an unfair assessment process,” Belan said.
The NUW is calling for a round of voluntary redundancies that will allow for transparency and fairness.
“The haste in which the company wants to shed its workers is disturbing and the process they intend to use leaves the workers with no say in the final outcome,” Belan said.
“We call upon the company to make a commitment not to target unionised workers and to use a fair redundancy process.
“Considering the history of issues faced by workers at Esselte, we intend to alert the Federal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. We do not want any corporate payback being handed out to our members at Esselte.
“This situation is a prime example of why workplace laws need to be changed as soon as possible."
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Last modified 2008-02-11 04:37 PM
