By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
ABOUT 150 workers at Dandenong South auto-parts manufacturer Dair Industries were locked out and stood down indefinitely last week.
The news coincided with the release of census figures that showed Victoria’s manufacturing heartland in Dandenong remains significant but shrinking.
Last Thursday morning, Dair Industries workers, unaware of their fate, found themselves locked out when they arrived at work.
Australian Manufacturing Workers Union state secretary Leigh Diehm said he hoped to hear clearer news on the workers’ jobs shortly. “I was told by the employer if they don’t source funding within 48 hours, they’d have to go into administration. We knew they were in financial difficulty but didn’t know the extent.”
In a statement, Dair’s owner Autodom said it was trying to “negotiate a restructure proposal with key automotive stakeholders” to quickly reopen Victorian and South Australian factories.
In August, a 72-hour strike by Dair workers threatened to bring the automotive industry to a standstill. Dair managers said it cost the business $170,000 in sales, with “another layer of costs to get back on track”.
State Manufacturing Minister Richard Dalla-Riva said the shutdown showed unions that “all industrial actions have consequences”.
On census night in 2011, there were 12,361 Greater Dandenong residents employed in manufacturing — 448 less than in 2006. In 2001, almost 14,500 residents had manufacturing jobs. In 10 years, overall Greater Dandenong employment grew by 6000 jobs, mainly in construction, wholesale and retail trade, health care and social assistance.
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