NUW to take Murray Goulburn to court

Monday 14 May

NUW Officials met with Murray Goulburn management today after the announcement last week of 170 redundancies to be made in processing and distribution.

Unfortunately the meeting did not make a great deal of progress on the matter of the Cooperative’s decision to make good union jobs redundant in regional Victoria.

The National Union of Workers made it clear that Members and Delegates need to be consulted in this process and that redeployment and voluntary redundancies must be a first priority.

However, on the back of today’s meeting the NUW has lodged a dispute with Fair Work Australia regarding the process by which Murray Goulburn wants to consult with members.

Murray Goulburn wants to hold a series of discrete meetings at each site involving local management.

NUW Industrial Officer Adam Portelli said, “The NUW believes it will be more appropriate to hold a single meeting in Melbourne involving all NUW Delegates and Officials with Senior MG Management. We need transparency so that all members are on the same page and the same information is given to all.

“We are not opposed to having local meetings, but this should only occur after all the parties have had the opportunity to meet in a formal setting. There are a number of fundamental issues; such as the use of labour hire during the redundancy process, and an emphasis on volunteers, which need to be ironed out before any site issues can be tackled.

“The NUW wants to hold proper discussions with Murray Goulburn to make sure everybody is treated with dignity and respect.” Mr Portelli continued.

Victorian Branch Secretary Tim Kennedy said it was a real concern that many of the workers losing good secure jobs may now have to compete for work through labour hire agencies.

“What is Ted Baillieu and the Coalition doing about the loss of these good secure jobs?” Mr Kennedy said.

Thursday 10 May

The National Union of Workers has called on Murray Goulburn to ensure that redeployment and voluntary redundancies are a first priority as the company announces plans to shed 170 permanent jobs across their Victorian sites.

NUW Victorian Branch Secretary Tim Kennedy said these latest job cuts would come as a shock to the workers and their families and said the Union will do everything to assist the workers at this time.

“Unfortunately these latest job losses come on top of a long list in Victorian industries and mean these workers have gone from secure full-time jobs to joining the queue of people now facing insecure causal work,” Mr Kennedy said.

“The NUW is calling on Murray Goulburn to ensure redeployment and voluntary redundancies as a first priority and a full commitment to training and re-skilling for those workers that now face looking for new work.

“It is an absolute disgrace that workers in this situation have to face the prospect of going from permanent work to potentially the growing casual pool looking for work through labour hire agencies,” he said.

Mr Kennedy said it was a worry that workers who lost good secure jobs now seemed to have to compete for work through labour hire agencies.

“What is Ted Baillieu and the Coalition doing about the growing number of job losses we have seen in Victoria’s manufacturing industry,” Mr Kennedy said.

Mr Kennedy said the NUW questioned Murray Goulburn’s claim that the job losses today “will deliver a more streamlined product flow and higher efficiencies across the region.”

“It defies logic that shedding 170 workers will bring higher efficiencies. Workers today deserve to feel ripped off that a company which owes its highly profitable status to its dedicated workforce should take this action,” he said.

“What the workers of Victoria need is jobs that they can count on. The NUW calls on the Baillieu Government to create an environment to ensure that all Victorians can have secure work and a secure future,” Mr Kennedy said.

The Union will work with delegates and members, and their families in the face of these redundancies across Victoria.