Heinemann's "negotiating" style : Melbourne Indymedia

Each time Richard Ross dutifully delivered to his employees the redrafted EBA proposals, supposedly reflecting negotiated changes, employees quickly noticed that other clauses were being changed at the same time.

It appears negotiations were nothing more than a stall tactic, while Freehills, the legal dynamites who helped draft the controversial WorkChoice IR laws, came up with a plan.

Richard Ross even sent a letter to all employees stating that he was disappointed that negotiations had appeared to fail, as he always kept his door open to anyone who wished to talk. While he relied upon his legal advice, it appears that it has hurt his feelings that workers felt the need to have more experienced and educated eyes check his proposals.

In a “door opening?” move, the managing director of Heinemann’s parent company CBI, Mr Helmuth Fischer, made a personal visit to his Australian workforce. At a meeting which was called to attention with a dog whistle personally delivered by Mr Fischer, he asked the Australian workers to please consider the South African shareholder when negotiating it’s new EBA. He pleaded with workers to not participate in industrial action, claiming it was vital that projects not be effected. One project he cited involved 15,000 chickens. One has to wonder if each chicken had a name, or how long they were meant for this world. Would Heinemann’s switchboards be keeping the little chicks warm in a barn so they could grow and prosper, or merely keep them frozen. One has to wonder why a company which showed such concern for 15,000 nameless chickens, has now shown such lack of compassion for all it’s Australian human workers.

In a show of force, Mr Helmuth Fischer concluded his meeting with the phrase, “If you want a fight, we’ll give you a fight!” I’m sure many employees were left with a warm and fuzzy feeling, and felt encouraged to visit Richard Ross’s “open door”.

How much longer can the Australian workforce be asked to submit itself to slavery for the sake of foreign dollars? Shame on you Mr Howard, for selling your people to the highest bidder.

If you are in the area, please feel free to visit the picket line at 821 Springvale Rd, Mulgrave. On a good day, there may even be a BBQ.

I am saddened to hear that management at Heinemanns is still prolonging this dispute needlessly. The workers are only asking for a fair pay rise, entitlement protection and recompense for the weeks pay that was effectively stolen from them by the "legal" manevourings of Freehills.
If the director is worried about shareholders - then he should immediately instruct management at the factory to settle the dispute so the skilled workers outside the gate can get back inside and resume production and therefore profits - its not complicated!!!
I hope the workers are holding up well on the picket line and thanks once again for taking a stand on these issues on behalf of all works.

Other people might want to move a similar motion in their unions.

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Civil Liberties motion

(unanimously adopted atjointAMWU/CFMEU delegates’ meeting,
21 September 2006)

“This mass delegates meeting of the CFMEU(C&G and FEDFA) and AMWU (metals) recommends to the management committees of the respective unions, the CFMEU (state exec) and AMWU (statecouncil) the following:

We condemn the current anti-terror laws as undemocratic
and an attack on our civil rights. We call for the following:

Supportfor the Civil Rights Defence Organisation

Support for an incoming ALP federal government to repeal the anti-terror laws

demand theimmediate release and return of David Hicks

publish stories on this issue in upcoming union journals consider acampaign on the Barwon Prison expansion

demand the immediate dropping of the control orders against Jack Thomas

call on all our members to get involved in this campaign.

We believe these laws will be eventually used against trade unions and must be repealed.”

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