ETU and AMWU have announced that they have reached agreement to immediately end the dispute with the maintenance workforce at the Abbotsford brewery in Melbourne, Victoria.
As part of the agreement, all picketing workers have been invited to return to work at their previous positions at the Abbotsford brewery on fair and decent union terms and conditions, which provide job security to the workers. All parties agreed to productivity and efficiency improvements that will be implemented at the brewery. CUB and the Unions have mapped out a better approach based on mutual respect, productivity and a shared passion to make the best beers with the best skilled workers.
The ETU and AMWU have called for an immediate end of the ongoing boycott and are encouraging their supporters to return to drinking the full range of CUB beers and ciders.
All parties are pleased to resolve this dispute and to refocus their attention on working together to brew the best beers in Victoria.
AB InBev have just bought half of all beer production and distribution in Australia. We need to show them how many community supporters are behind the CUB 55.
You can send Jan Craps, the new CEO of CUB, a message.
Why is this important?
At the direction of CUB, the 55 workers were called to a meeting and informed without prior notice that they were terminated. The workers were then ‘invited’ to reapply for their jobs with a company called Catalyst Recruitment, which is in the Programmed/Skilled Group. The invitation to apply for a job:
- came with no guarantees;
- would be on individual contracts;
- would be covered by a barely compliant non-union EBA;
- would result in in a massive loss of terms and conditions, including an approximate 65% reduction in monetary entitlements.
CUB knew that their greedy money grab actions would not go down well with the workers or the ETU, so it had sneakily pre-organised the engagement of a company called "5 Star Electrical Services" to provide replacement workers, at rates that severely undercut the sacked workers.
So CUB, just like Patricks during the Waterfront dispute, have rid itself of its committed union workers and the hard fought terms and conditions, and have replaced it with a temporary cheap non-union labour force. CUB and Programmed/Skilled are now trying to force the sacked workers to forego their work/life balance and existing hard fought terms and conditions, in order to “maybe” get some form of their job back.
The 55 long-time and loyal CUB workers are holding firm against this unprovoked attack on their jobs and rights - and the ETU will stand with them all the way. Having had their livelihoods ripped away from them overnight, these workers have been left with no way to support their families or meet their commitments.
We're looking to other union members to step up and lend these workers a hand, to help get them through these tough times so they can continue to stand strong against CUB's deceitful and malicious conduct. There is an important principle at stake in this fight, one that affects the security of all our jobs.
Please help support these workers as they resist this attack on their rights - and on your rights.
