By CASEY NEILL
SOUTH east jobs could be sent to South Africa if Aspen workers and management can’t reach a new deal.
About 200 workers set up a picket line at the pharmaceutical company on Frankston-Dandenong Road, Dandenong South, at 11pm on Tuesday 7 July, following 18 months of failed negotiations.
On Wednesday they played football, sought shelter in their cars and huddled around a fire as passing motorists tooted their support, and even pulled over to offer assistance.
An Aspen spokesperson said the proposal was for workers to voluntarily convert their roster to an average 38-hour week with 12 rostered days off (RDOs) instead of their current 36-hour week with 24 RDOs.
They would receive a higher hourly rate in exchange.
The spokesperson said the change would increase production efficiency to sustainable levels.
“Many of Aspen’s competitors are offshoring their manufacturing operations to lower cost jurisdictions,” they said.
“Unless Aspen takes steps to increase efficiency, its Australian operations may not be sustainable.”
Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) organiser Toby Paterson said Aspen had tried and failed to change RDO conditions during past workplace agreement negotiations.
“This time they’re digging their heels in,” he said.
“It’s absolutely outrageous that the company is scaring the workers by telling them that their jobs will be lost to South Africa, purely to cut some of their basic and hard-fought conditions.
“Nobody really wants to sit out here, but if the company’s not prepared to listen to the workers …
“We’re prepared to sit until the company’s attitude changes.”
The plant produces chemicals for the pharmaceutical industry, including methadone.
“The company said to me this morning that they had enough products to last several months,” Mr Paterson said.
“Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know.”
National Union of Workers (NUW) is also involved in negotiations, which have included proposing banking the RDO days to improve flexibility, adding them to annual leave time, or allowing workers to accrue the RDOs through working overtime.
NUW organiser Andy Riley said: “The company just wants to force longer working hours on them and they see it as a way of gaining more efficiency.”
Bernie Lacey has worked for Aspen for 15 years and said the RDO change would cost workers time with their families. He said many had young children and used the time to pick them up from school.
“I spend the time with my mum,” he said.
“It was the reason I started working here. It was less money but better conditions.”
