Published: 14 Jul 2017
Friday 14 July 2017
CFMEU takes Boral company to Court to prevent it sacking its entire workforce
The CFMEU has successfully prevented a Boral company from making its entire workforce redundant before 10 August after taking the company to the Federal Court this morning.
The CFMEU initiated court proceedings and sought urgent orders to stop concreting company De Martin & Gasparini from making over 100 workers redundant, after the company last week told its employees they proposed to make them all redundant sometime between 24 July and 31 August because the workers had not agreed to vary their existing enterprise agreement in line with the Boral company’s demands.
The company gave the Federal Court an undertaking that they would not make the workers redundant before 10 August.
They also undertook to provide at least ten days’ notice after that time if they wished to make any employees redundant, giving the union the right to go back to Court and fight it.
“This is an important early win for the workers, who’ve had the threat of redundancy hanging over them,” CFMEU Construction National Secretary Dave Noonan said.
“They have an immediate reprieve from the threat of losing their jobs next month, and some peace of mind knowing there is a process in place to fight any further attempts.
“This is a small but significant step.
“There is an EBA in place that does not expire until next year, and the workers voted down changes to it in a secret ballot brought on by the company last month.
“Under the smokescreen of Malcolm Turnbull’s ABCC and anti-worker Building Code, we are witnessing companies that are trying to strip away secure employment and who, in our view, are trying to intimidate workers into signing away hard fought for conditions.
“The CFMEU alleges that De Martin & Gasparini and two of their managers have contravened the Fair Work Act and is continuing to pursue remedies against them in the Federal Court”
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