Members at H&G Glass vote for action on pay

FFTS members at H&G Glass in Dandenong South have voted to take industrial action. The June 23 ballot was the first secret ballot of its kind to be held by any Victorian division of the CFMEU.

Secret ballots now required
Before members can take action a secret ballot is now required under the new WorkChoices legislation. The ballot must be undertaken before any protected industrial action can be taken. Once a positive ballot result is in then the union must give the company 3 days notice before taking industrial action.

Members angry after 5 month wait for wage justice
'This law is clearly designed to hamper unions and delay wage justice for workers,' said FFTS legal officer Kelvin Reidy. 'However, in the case with H&G Glass, the postal ballot allowed workers to express their anger at being made to wait 5 months for a pay rise. The very day the ballot was in, the company, they started negotiation with the Union. The company only stopped the delay tactics when knew that industrial action and overtime bans were likely,' Kelvin explained.

Non-union workers have no rights under WorkChoices
FFTS South-Eastern Organiser Bob Doleman pointed out that the secret ballot process shows the importance of being paid up with the union. 'At H&G Glass non-union workers are not covered by the ballot process. Non-union workers cant' take action to get better pay or to hang on to their conditions. Under these new laws they can be sacked. Union members on the other hand can take protected action for 30 days after the ballot. Non-union workers have no rights under WorkChoices,' said Bob.

Union members have power to get boss to negotiation table
Bob explained that there is another lesson that all members can learn from this recent secret postal ballot. That lesson is that members must always vote for industrial action. 'If any members in the future face a ballot like this then they must vote for industrial action. At H&G Glass the vote forced the boss to the negotiation table,' said Bob.

The process has been a tough one, but one worth fighting out. 'It has been such a positive win that all the non-union workers there have signed up to the Union. Which just goes to show that it pays to stick together and it pays to be union,' said Bob Doleman.