Patties Campaign
Patties and NUW Enterprise Agreement
Over the next couple of months National Union of Workers delegates, with the support of their organiser, are negotiating a new Agreement at Patties that will cover workers’ pay and conditions.
The NUW has put a number of claims to the Company, but our main goals are:
- to secure a fair annual wage increase
- to fix the employee levels so that the classifications are clearer and fairer
- that the bonus scheme be fixed and made fairer
- that our elected delegates be given recognition and power to represent our members more effectively, and
- that other conditions (such as overtime, shift allowances, annual leave and redundancy) be brought up to industry standards.
The more support we have from our members, the more effective we can be in delivering real benefits for everyone. To get involved please see one of your NUW delegates - Bianca Rhodes, Lee Anne Riley, Paul Healy or Ben Derrick – or email pattiescampaign@nuw.org.au – for more information.
16th March 2011 – Update
Delegate election and training.
The last few months have seen the election of 5 NUW Delegates at Patties, covering a range of shifts and areas. The Delegates that have been elected are:
Bianca Rhodes, morning shift, QA
LeeAnne Riley, morning shift, Pie Line 2
Debra Reid, afternoon shift, Pie Line 1
Paul Healy, morning shift, stores
Ben Derrick, morning shift, stores
In taking on the role of Union Delegate, Ben, LeeAnne, Bianca, Debra and Paul have accepted a task which can at times be challenging and difficult and as such it is important that all NUW members at Patties do their best to support the Delegates as they become accustomed to their role. The NUW wishes the Delegates at Patties the best of luck in their task.
Delegates have started work, and have been meeting with supervisors and management to discuss issues as they have arisen and to arrange a Union notice board in the lunch room. It has been great to see both the Delegates and other members getting involved at work and with the Union.
The Delegates have all been recognised by the company as legitimate representatives of the NUW at Patties and are now being introduced at Toolbox meetings. These introductions will continue until Delegates have been introduced to all Toolbox meetings.
Ben, LeeAnne and Bianca have started Delegate training with the NUW and will finish this course next week.
Having your Delegates trained is a great step forward for the Union and its members at Patties. It provides members and potential members at Patties with a valuable resource for any questions, help or representation you may need at work. For those interested in joining, the Delegates are ready and willing to help you and answer any questions you may have.
Workplace update.
NUW Delegates, Members and Organisers are working towards the upcoming agreement negotiations set to kick off in the next couple of months, and we are focused on creating a strong Union so we can achieve the best outcomes both from this process and in the months and years that follow.
Delegates and Organisers continue to meet with workers on and off site to talk about the Union and any work related issues, and we encourage anyone who is interested or has questions to give us a call or introduce yourself to one of the Delegates.
If you would like to arrange a home visit, please contact one of your on site NUW Delegates, or one of the NUW Organisers listed below:
Chris Kalomiris: 0407 811 431
Steve Kelly: 0425 725 597
Kathryn Hilt: 0417 438 118
Dominic Melling: 0404 263 851
Robbie Dent 0438 559 751
PATTIE'S CAMPAIGN 2010 - OVERVIEW
The National Union of Workers is a Union that represents food manufacturing workers throughout country Victoria in sites such as Murray Goulburn, National Foods, Fonterra, Uncle Toby’s and of course Vegco
Our union campaign is currently underway to win better and fairer wages and conditions.
Patties Foods Ltd has grown from a small family company to one of Victoria’s biggest employers making multi-million dollar profits every year. It’s only fair that employees, who have worked so hard to make that profit, get a slice of the pie.
Over the next few weeks we will be engaging with Patties workers to identify the important issues and the best way to address them.
We encourage all workers to get involved.
If you have any questions, please contact NUW Assist on 1300 275 689 or send an email to pattiescampaign@nuw.org.au
Health & Safety
NUW Organisers have been raising Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) issues with Patties Foods, and conducting on site safety inspections.
The concerns that have been raised by members with Organisers have formed the basis of these inspections. As a result, the NUW has inspected the site and addressed these issues with Patties Foods management. They included issues such as blocked, missing and unmarked walkways, traffic management, emergency stop buttons on conveyor belts, and missing guards on machinery. Consequently, the OH&S issues raised by the NUW are now being dealt with by the company…making for a safer workplace for all employees.
Health and safety is very important to NUW members. Every worker has the right to go home fit and healthy after their shift.
If you are interested in finding out more, Worksafe has more information about manual handling and general health and safety questions as well, which are a good place to start.
If you have any questions or concerns about health and safety, please call one of the NUW Organisers listed below, contact NUW Assist on 1300 275 689 or send an email to pattiescampaign@nuw.org.au
NUW Contacts:
Chris Kalomiris: 0407 811 431
Steve Kelly: 0425 725 597
Kathryn Hilt: 0417 438 118
Dominic Melling: 0404 263 851
