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25 August 2009

The Australian Workers’ Union has urged foreign-owned Bundaberg Sugar to drop its continued attack on worker entitlements, pointing to the potential impacts on other parts of the industry, including growers.

AWU Senior Industrial Advocate Chris Simpson said Bundaberg Sugar has ignored worker pleas and forcing the workers to take protected industrial action, including a 24-hour stoppage last week and rolling four-hour stoppages from Thursday this week.

“Workers want to be back at work, but they will not accept Bundaberg Sugar’s continued attack on their entitlements nor should any worker.  Workers have been forced to withdraw their labour to protect their entitlements,” he said.

“Workers want to keep their existing travel leave entitlements. They don’t want more.  They just want to keep what they’re already entitled to. Workers want to keep that time to spend time with their families.”

Mr Simpson said Bundaberg Sugar had been bloody-minded in its pursuit of travel leave entitlements over the last four months.

“Bundaberg Sugar is holding the sugar industry – workers and growers – hostage to its pursuit of worker entitlements,” he said.

“At a time of record world raw sugar prices, Bundaberg Sugar should stop being an industrial thug and help growers and mill workers help the local economy benefit from the current buoyant sugar market.”

“Growers want to be harvesting their cane and workers want to crush it.  Bundaberg Sugar needs to pull its head in.”