UPDATE
WORKERS who last week spent four days in a Dandenong factory lunchroom returned to their jobs this morning.
The International Flavours and Fragrances (IFF) employees last night (Sunday) voted to accept a new enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA).
National Union of Workers (NUW) spokeswoman Emma Kerin said that workers left the site on Friday because IFF’s Asia Pacific management had got involved.
“They spent all day in the commission Saturday – from 10am to 9pm – with our delegates,” she said.
Ms Kerin said the three-year agreement put to workers on Sunday afternoon protected current paid breaks and accrued sick leave.
She said it also secured annual wage increases of 2 per cent, 2.1 per cent and 2.2 per cent.
“They’re very happy to be back at work,” she said.
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By CASEY NEILL
RUMOURS that the riot squad was on its way sent workers packing from an 80-hour lunchroom protest at a Dandenong factory on Friday.
Representatives from International Flavours and Fragrances and the staff were due to attend a hearing at Fair Work to consider the dispute on Saturday.
Staff at the Frankston-Dandenong Road premises arrived at work about 6am last Tuesday to find they were banned from going inside.
The American-owned multinational company supplies flavourings to Australia’s biggest food producers in liquid, powder and spray.
National Union of Workers (NUW) spokeswoman Emma Kerin said the workers had been due to start protected industrial action that day.
She said enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) negotiations started last June and had stalled because IFF insisted on cutting conditions.
“Protected industrial action was going to be a ban on paperwork,” Ms Kerin said.
“That led to quite an extreme response which was a lockout.
“They then voted to stay in the lunch room because what they’d really like to do is go to work.”
Worker Arthur Ingles said rumours were circulating about 4pm on Friday that the riot squad would remove them so they opted to leave.
“This was never going to be a violent protest,” he said.
“We weren’t going to be mannequins in a training drill.
“We knew from the beginning this was a trespass. It’s not the end of the protest.
“The picket is going to be maintained. The action is still going to be maintained from outside, not inside.”
And Ms Kerin said workers had achieved a victory with a petition on www.coworker.org calling for IFF Asia Pacific regional operations manager Arjan Koudijs to meet with employees and end the lockout.
“The workers have agreed that they’ll exit the site today of their own accord with their heads held high,” she said.
“The petition has worked and management from Asia Pacific has come.
“They are at the site now. They’ll be in Fair Work tomorrow (Saturday).”
The petition said workers wanted to be heard and genuinely negotiate a workplace agreement that benefited both parties.
“We were promised there would be a cultural change from management. But things have only gotten worse. Local management couldn’t care less about us,” it said.
Ms Kerin said union members and community supporters set up barbecues in front of the premises during the lock-in and brought in food to make sandwiches.
“Family and friends have been bringing down blankets and sleeping bags,” she said.
Mr Ingles said these efforts and a visit from outspoken veteran priest and media personality Father Bob Maguire on Friday had boosted morale.
“Everyone was really, really happy to see him,” he said.
“He was as outraged as anyone else at the way events have unfolded here.
“It’s the unseen support that really keeps you going.
“Sacrifice is the only word you can use.
“None of us undertake work these days because we’re bored.”
Mr Ingles said they were foregoing much-needed income for the sake of principles.
He said workers wanted to hold onto two 10 minute paid breaks each day, a $50 a day bonus for sick leave not taken and payout of personal leave on termination after seven years’ service.
“That represents a lot of money to a lot of people,” he said.
“That’s been built into their costings from the day it was incorporated into the EBA.
“You can hardly expect us to be accountable for how they manage their liabilities.”
Mr Ingles said management on Friday 23 January told workers to turn up for work on Tuesday to be addressed.
“But we found a notice on the perimeter fence advising we were locked out because of our decision to take protected industrial action,” he said.
“This whole scenario should be a partnership.
“The company has needs that we satisfy and the company satisfies needs that we have.
“No one is winning out of this situation.
“But the alternatives are worse than where we find ourselves at the moment.
“The alternatives that the company want to incorporate into the EBA would create much more pain for a much longer period of time.”
When the Journal spoke to Mr Ingles on Friday, he was looking forward to a ‘family day out’ barbecue at the site on Saturday.
“We want to acknowledged as best we can from where we are that we see that support, we appreciate that support and it shouldn’t go unrecognised,” he said.
NUW communications team member Carina Garland said a meeting scheduled for 5pm Thursday at IFF management’s request never happened.
“We agreed to meet with them and the deputy president of the commission at the Fair Work Commission,” she said.
“Our industrial officer was on the tram when she got a phone call from the deputy president saying that the company had refused to show up to the meeting they’d initiated.
“It leaves us in the lunch room.
“And it leaves the company open to come up with a deal that is fair to our workers.
“If they’re prepared to move on some of the unreasonable things that they’ve refused to move on, we’ll consider that.”
The Journal contacted IFF but did not receive any response.
A media statement said the lockout was to protect food safety because the protected industrial action would have put that at risk.
