James Vassilopoulos, Melbourne
Sixty workers employed at Australian Envelopes in the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Notting Hill — all members of the printing division of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) — have been on strike since September 13 in protest against the sacking of Matthew Stephen, the elected occupational health and safety representative.
The dispute began when two of the elected OH&S reps were bullied by management about their workplace duties and their OH&S duties. Under the OH&S Act, OH&S representatives are supposed to be given adequate time off work to carry out their health and safety responsibilities.
Stephen took up the company's attempt to bully him with WorkSafe, but was later sacked by the company for alleged "bullying and harassment" of staff. The Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) ordered his reinstatement, but the company refused to comply with the order.
Jim Reid, secretary of the printing division of the AMWU in Victoria, told 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly that Stephen had been "sacked for doing his OH&S job". Reid said it was wrong that the company's human resource manager could have three complaints of bullying against him, but that these have not been independently investigated.
Georgie Kimmel, the AMWU Victorian branch's health and safety officer, said that Australian Envelopes has no policy or procedure on bullying. The union was partly vindicated when WorkSafe issued a provisional improvement notice stating that the workplace needed guidelines on bullying.
At 3am on September 21, 30 thugs brought in by the company from Sydney attempted to break the picket line that the striking workers had set up. Later that day, 100 metalworkers were mobilised to maintain the picket line.
An AIRC injunction has been issued against union officials and workplace delegates at the Australian Envelopes work site from participating in the picket line, which has become a "community" picket line, and is ensuring that very few of the 8.5 million envelopes made each day are being transported out of the factory.
The picket line is at 280 Ferntree Gully Road (near the corner of Blackburn Road), Notting Hill.
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, September 28, 2005.
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