D Williams Report
Deidre Williams
PRIMO SMALLGOODS - ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT NEGOTIATIONS 2011
Firstly I would like to thank each and every employee at the Primo Greenacre Site for their active participation in the Enterprise Agreement negotiations. A special thanks to the hard working delegates.
Negotiating with Primo - a tough gig for many not just NSW
Some readers may already be aware that Primo Smallgoods has now negotiated Enterprise Agreements with the AMIEU in a few states. But what you may not be aware of is that those negotiations have been very difficult, with industrial unrest a feature of almost all of them and in one instance an entire agreement is being renegotiated from scratch! Clearly trying to change entrenched attitudes takes time and a lot of effort.
Negotiations so far
For the AMIEU Primo negotiating team here in NSW it was clear after the first few meetings that the Company was not going to put a sensible position to us and so we provided them with an initial draft document with newly designed classifications, wage rates and allowances. The AMIEU’s document, like good Enterprise Agreements, contains descriptions of “improved” working conditions including a recommendation for income protection insurance for workers and an easily understood grievance procedure. The negotiations have resulted in many variations of the initial document with the Company continually rejecting what we say are “good and fair items”, like allowances which bring the workforce into line with other similar worksites.
Primo finally put a proposed wage increase on the table, starting at 1.5% and 2% and more recently 3%. Mind you we still don’t have agreement on hourly base rates and the Company has not agreed to the classification levels. They have agreed to some of the allowances. Many of which are in fact standard entitlements afforded employees in comparable work sites. After all the meetings, discussions and a skills audit to confirm the work performed on the site matched our preferred classifications, the Company still wants to go to a 5 level classification with no accurately defined tasks!
At each Union meeting employees have said they just want to be paid and recognised for their high skill levels and commitment to work completion, like other workers, like other sites. The Company cannot find enough hours in the day as their production levels continue to soar and workers keep putting in the hard work and hours to meet the demand. Still the Company is holding out on giving a good permanent base hourly rate with allowances and improved conditions.
How do you get paid your increases? Not like this I am sure
It is common practice at Primo for almost all workers to be paid over award hourly rates. However it is also the case that these same workers do not actually receive in their pocket, the monies allocated via the minimum wage increases handed down by governments. With the difference between the low hourly rate in the Modern Award and what the worker gets per hour each day, and the Company not legally required to pass on anything over the low Modern Award rates, these workers absorb the increase in their standard hourly rate. Some workers have not technically had a wage increase for many years on this basis. Many workers rightly say they never get pay increases! True enough as their take home pay packet does not change!
Primo workers have a goal
Delegates and workers at Greenacre believe that in 2011 its time Primo accepted that they as workers are entitled to be remunerated in a clearly defined way for the work they do. That they have a career path that is fair and accessible to all with agreed training opportunities through classification levels.
Whilst workers at the site are highly skilled and extremely efficient and production levels are rising with overtime a regular feature, the Company is still reluctant to agree to significant, measurable and regular wage increases in the form of an Enterprise Agreement. This is especially important as Primo workers have been low paid for a very long time now.
At our last meeting the Company presented us with yet again a large number of changes and very few concessions. We are up to Version 10 of the document and all meetings with the workforce, up until last week, were held during lunch breaks or tea breaks. The workforce has been very patient.
First mass meeting in Company time - progress
At this last meeting the Company finally agreed to endorse, on Company time, a Mass Meeting of both shifts. Workers had much to talk about at these meetings but were very supportive of the Union negotiating team’s view at this time, which was, that unless we can resolve our differences at our next meeting we may have to make an application for a secret ballot and protected industrial action.
A workforce in for the duration – but wants to be recognised
“A fair go for all” is what workers have been asking of the Company for a very long time now. A Company that is financially secure and which has a very well organised and successful growth strategy in place. A Company that does know how to ensure it is around for the long haul but fails when it comes to remunerating its crucial element, its workers.
For the record many workers have openly acknowledged that it is with their own efforts and good strategic decisions by Primo Directors that company growth continues. The same workers also say they want a fair and reasonable Enterprise Agreement with significant wage and allowance improvements along with conditions that are relevant and show they are valued Primo workers. Workers feel very strongly they have earned the right to ask for it and are determined to continue to seek it.
For the Record
In all my years in the trade union movement I have learned many things, but none more important than the benefits to all of giving support and commitment to both delegates and members. I say to all Primo workers support your delegates, support one another and together we will achieve our goals to the benefit of worker and management alike.
Take good care.
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