By Cameron Weston
PICKETERS surrounded the gates of the Toyota factory in Altona last week, saying the company had discriminated against a fellow worker.
The protest began on Wednesday but was called off at 2.15pm on Thursday when a Federal Court ruled the action unlawful and ordered the unions to tell workers to move on.
Toyota initially took the matter to the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC), which ordered an end to the strike.
Unions and workers ignored the instruction, which then lead to the Federal Court action.
Negotiations between senior union officials and Toyota management continued on Friday, and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) was scheduled to meet workers at the site later in the day.
A leaflet, distributed at the picket line by the Vehicle Builders Union – an arm of the AMWU – stated that the worker had been guaranteed his job at Altona during the consolidation of Toyota’s Port Melbourne site.
It stated that 795 workers had been given the option of jobs at Altona or redundancies, but the worker in question was not offered his existing position at Altona and industrial action followed as a result.
However, Toyota spokesman Glenn Campbell disputed this statement, saying the worker was “seeking favourable treatment over all his other workmates”.
Mr Campbell said the vast majority of workers had been happy with Toyota’s offer when it shifted operations to Altona.
“Of the 795 employees, many hundreds have been successfully transferred to Altona, in the same position and in the same shift.
“Many others have left the company, having chosen to take the redundancy package. This matter is the result of one employee.”
Mr Campbell said only metal workers from the AMWU were involved in the action, an action which he pointed out was “unlawful”.
