30th April 2012

Meat Workers Union Refuses Offer to Get Members Back To Work

The Meat Workers Union has refused an offer that would have seen all its members back to work at Affco plants.

Over the weekend, the company offered to restart all striking workers if the Union ended its strike action and engaged in meaningful mediation during the return to work.

Affco Director of Operations, Rowan Ogg said the company proposed that should the Union end its strike action Affco would restart striking workers at 300 workers per week provided only that meaningful mediation occurs during the period it takes to re-employ all 1100 Union members.

Affco’s back to work offer comes after 8 weeks of strike action by the Union. The Union has rejected the offer to get its members back to work.

The majority of Affco’s workers are not Union members and are working as normal with all plants operational.

Mr Ogg said the company has been frustrated at the Union’s failure to put any alternative options to the company’s new Collective terms during past mediation attempts.

Affco has also guaranteed that workers’ daily pay would not be affected by the operational Collective changes.

The Union rejected Affco’s latest offer by demanding a shorter restart and that striking workers come back according to seniority. The Union also claimed that processing lines the Union members work on be subject to the Union’s agreement on operational matters.

Mediation between Affco and the Meat Workers Union is set down for today and tomorrow.

ENDS

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