Factory occupation workers claim victory
What do you do when your employer threatens to lock you out of your workplace? Why, you lock yourself in, of course
UPDATED, Sunday, 1 February: The National Union of Workers has announced this afternoon that members at International Flavors & Fragrances have voted to accept a new agreement with “fair wages, conditions and respect from management”. The union said breaks had been defended, accrued sick leave protected and all workers would benefit from wage increases. This followed the emergence of the workers from the lunchroom on Friday afternoon, ending their four-day occupation after the Asian regional management of IFF agreed to re-enter talks to be overseen by the Fair Work Commission.
EARLY on Tuesday morning, employees of multinational International Flavors & Fragrances arrived at work at their factory in the Melbourne industrial suburb of Dandenong South to be served with lock-out notices.
Management of the food flavouring manufacturer had moved to lock them out in retaliation at plans for low-level industrial action involving bans on paperwork that began that morning.
But when an opportunity arose, a group of about 30 workers who are members of the National Union of Workers stormed through the open gates and occupied the staff lunchroom.
They have remained there since, and have vowed to stick it out until management backs down on demands that the workers trade off several hard-won conditions in return for a sub-inflation pay rise.
Conditions inside the canteen are far from luxurious, but the workers do have access to (cold) showers, toilets, and basic bedding materials.
They have been supplied with food from workmates who have maintained a vigil outside, and have no intention of leaving, workers told Working Life.
They have been providing regular updates to the outside world through social media, using the Twitter hashtag #occupydandenong to spread the word.
As long as it takes, say workers
“We’re determined to do this as long as it takes,” said Mark Hutchision, who works in inward goods management at the plant and has been an employee for 18 years.
“A lot of us have been here for a long time and we’ve fought for these conditions and now they want to take away all of our conditions that have been won over the past 20 years in one big hit.
“We’ve all got families and mortgages and none of us are getting paid for this, but inside that canteen each day we’re getting stronger and stronger and we’re 100% solid.”
Outside, the factory, the resolve is just as strong among workers who arrived at the plant later in the day after the gates had again been locked shut and the premises secured.
“The support has been fantastic,” said Rachel Finlay, who comes from New Zealand where this type of industrial action is rare. “Every union you can think of has been down here to lend support — teachers, nurses, manufacturing workers.
“The workers next door are also members of the NUW and they have their own negotiations coming up in the next few months, and they have been coming over between shifts and saying ‘please dig in, we’re rooting for you because it will make our negotiations easier if our management sees your company back down’.
“The support just blows you away.”
Arthur Ingles, a senior delegate with the National Union of Workers, said negotiations for a new enterprise agreement began in September last year, but have made little progress after management insisted it wanted workers to trade-off an entitlement to two 10-minute breaks each day, along with a provision to be paid out for any accrued personal leave when they left the company.
Ingles said the demand to remove the 10-minute break entitlement effectively meant a 4% annual pay cut.
“We’ve all got families and mortgages and none of us are getting paid for this, but inside that canteen each day we’re getting stronger and stronger and we’re 100% solid.”
- Mark Hutchison
“This is not an attempt to deny the company profitability,” he said. “What we’re wanting is a fair and reasonable return on our investment and our contribution to the company’s profitability and productivity.
“Never once have we asked for the keys to the vault, never once have asked for the cheque book. We have consistently asked to be treated fairly, reasonably and equitably, not just put upon as fodder for the machine.”
The management insistence on removing the entitlement to the two 10-minute breaks is a clear line in the sand that the workers will not concede.
“We don’t really put a monetary value on it,” said Rachel Finlay. “We’re dealing with toxic chemicals, like mustard oil and sulphuric acid, it’s very physical work and you’ve got to be on your a-game, physically and mentally, and without these breaks to refersh our minds and have a physical rest, it becomes a safety issue.
“It’s not just money, it’s the fact that our union fought for this many years ago, and they want it take if off us.”
Ingles said workers had decided to adopt a more low-key strategy of industrial action this time compared to three years ago, when they withdrew their labour for several days.
Bans on overtime and paper work kicked in from midnight on Monday, and the company lock-out was not unexpected. The day shift had arrived at the plant at about 5.30am on Tuesday to find the lock-out notice attached to the front entrance, but had stormed into the property when the gates were opened to allow a maintenance fitter to enter.
IFF, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, maintains it had no option but to lock-out the workers to maintain food safety and quality control if bans were placed on paper work. Its customers include Smith’s, Arnott’s, Snack Foods, and Sakata.
“As our products are consumed by families everywhere, we take the quality and safety of everything we make very seriously,” IFF said in a statement published on the Workplace Express website.
“Therefore, we had no choice but to lock out the workers who would be manufacturing our products without the benefit of quality control processes. Because of contingency plans put in place, there has been no disruption to our customers.”
Support continues to grow
Hearings in the Fair Work Commission have failed to break the deadlock, and the workers have rejected a recommendation that they leave the premises.
Ingles said this was a reflection on the frustration the workers had over what they say is management’s lack of interest in genuine negotiation.There was now too much at stake for the workers to voluntarily leave the lunchroom, he added. That would represent a defeat.
“Ultimately, we want to resolve this dispute, and it was felt we could achieve more by being inside than outside.”
Back outside the gates, the remaining workers at least have the freedom to go home to shower and sleep, but they are determined to maintain a strong presence to show solidarity with their colleagues inside.
Boredom appears to be their greatest enemy at this stage, but their numbers are bolstered by a steady stream of supporters visiting from the community.
On Thursday, their visitors included one 76-year-old man with a walking stick who had travelled two-and-a-half hours by public transport from Caroline Springs in the western suburbs in solidarity.
“I’ve been involved in a lot of industrial struggles and know it’s exceedingly important that people realise if they don’t keep fighting for their rights, they will be walked all over, stomped on and trampled into the ground.
“I think it’s incumbent on people who are retired who are able and fit enough to come to workers in this sort of disputation and give support because you do it for your children and grandchildren, and in my case, great-grandchildren, who are not even at work yet. It’s for them that I’m here, as well as these fellas.”
A family and community barbecue will be held at the, 310 Dandenong-Frankston Road, Dandenong South, between 12–4pm this Saturday, 31 January.
Published on 29 January 2015.
