United Voice News
SA members win at Protec paint
As you may have read in our previous edition of Union News, over 40 paint production workers at Protec in Gilman had joined the union to fight for better pay and conditions. St Patrick’s Day marked the fifth day of protected industrial action at the site over enterprise agreement negotiations, and also marked the day agreement was reached between LHMU members and the Company.
Since last Thursday 11 March 2010, determined LHMU members have been outside their worksite in 8-hour work stoppages. After today’s protected action there was to be a further 7 days of 4 hour stoppages on each am and pm shift.
Previously a non-unionised worksite, Protec workers joined the LHMU in May 2009 so they could be better organised and represented in negotiations for their agreement.
Since that time no agreement could be reached through the bargaining process and the protected action ballots were held in November 2009 and February 2010.
Protec is an international company that mostly produce automotive paints. The main issue was that the company refused to accept South Australian members needed to start closing the wages gap between them and their other Protec worksites on pay and conditions.
The wage rates, prior to reaching agreement, between a paint worker in SA was significantly less than their Victorian and New South Wales counterparts.
As a consequence of the Agreement SA members have narrowed that difference by achieving increases of almost $3 an hour to be delivered over the life of the Agreement.
