Macfarlane pressured to apologise to SPC Ardmona staff

The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) has called on Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane to apologise to SPC Ardmona workers for comments he made regarding employees’ leave and pay arrangements.

Macfarlane told The Australian that SPC employees work a 35-hour week - a fact which the ETU disputes.

“Mr Macfarlane is wrong in asserting that a 35-hour week exists at any SPC Ardmona site,” said the ETU’s Damian King.

“What does apply across SPC Ardmona operations is the equivalent of a 36.5-hour week. This arrangement was negotiated when maintenance employees received only a 2% per year wage increase over the life of a three-year enterprise agreement.

“This arrangement included eight additional rostered days off above the 38-hour week, plus the three 2% a year wage increase, instead of annual wage increases of 4% a year that was initially offered by the company. In effect, the maintenance employees at SPC Ardmona forfeited a 6% wage increase to have an additional eight paid days off work a year.”

This arrangement has been highly productive, King said, ensuring maintenance staff were at work during the busy fruit processing season, but allowing them additional leave during the off-season in winter.

“The historical problems at SPC Ardmona have nothing to do with workers, employment conditions or work practices,” King said.

“The problems were caused by a wide range of factors: the high value of the Australian dollar, dumping of imports onto the Australian market and supermarkets, and decisions made by the board and major shareholder Coca-Cola Amatil. The worst of the difficult operating conditions have passed and SPC has seen very strong growth in sales of its products recently.

“Until the external problems have passed, maintenance unions, currently involved in enterprise agreement negotiations, have made the unprecedented offer of seeking no wage increase for the first year of the new enterprise agreement. In exchange, the company needs to work cooperatively with maintenance employees and it should provide decent wage increases to compensate workers in the second and third years of the agreement.

“Minister Macfarlane should front up to the workforce, apologise and learn the facts before claiming he has any knowledge of any so-called ‘outdated work practices’.”