Some 678 AMWU members caught in the demise of print giant Geon have won quick payment of their full entitlements from the Federal Government.
The union says that up to 40 promised jobs for former Banksmeadow staff with Blue Star have not materialised, as it says Blue Star was reluctant to take on any of the enterprise agreement conditions that were in place Geon.
Worried workers of the collapsed printing firm in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne who had been told by receivers that the failed company did not have the assets to pay them out, were informed they would get fast access to wages, leave payments and redundancy pay due to them.
AMWU says its officials, who had been in contact with Canberra between talks with the receivers and new owners, were on hand when Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Bill Shorten gave workers the financially consoling news.
The 678 former Geon employees nationally will benefit from the Fair Entitlements Guarantee which includes up to three months’ unpaid wages, their long service leave, annual leave pay-out, up to five weeks pay in lieu of notice and redundancy pay.
National Print Division Secretary Lorraine Cassin slammed Blue Star for refusing to hire former Geon workers, instead intending to advertise jobs at likely lower pay and inferior conditions. She says, “This is outrageous discrimination against union members from a company which abandoned Geon employees, refusing discussions with the AMWU then going back on promised jobs,” she said.
At a meeting at Geon’s Lidcombe plant last Friday, the AMWU ensured that Federal Government staff from Job Services Australia staff, employment co-ordinators and careers advisers were on hand to assist about 200 former workers. More support is being organised through AMWU state offices across Australia.
Former Geon AMWU delegate John Landrigan said many workers with young families and mortgages had feared losing all their entitlements. He says, “I think the union handled it pretty well overall, they were on the spot immediately, they kept as informed as they could when things were unclear and in the end they were able to make sure we got the benefit from what was a good enterprise agreement.”
