Glencore's credibility hits rock bottom with latest pay offer
The Grinch and Scrooge rolled into one!
Glencore has lost what little credibility it had left after falsely accusing unions of quoting incorrect figures in a recent media release, despite those figures being exactly what Glencore presented to the negotiating team during last Tuesday's bargaining meeting according to the Electrical Trades Union.
State organiser Liam Sharkey said. "In its response to news reports, Glencore attempted to muddy the waters by adding figures from a so-called "bonus payment." This is not a genuine increase at all. It is something workers already receive, merely repackaged to inflate the company's offer." He said.
"You can't call it a wage increase when it's something workers already have. Re-labelling existing entitlements doesn't put food on the table or pay the bills, it's smoke and mirrors."
When bargaining representatives formally requested Glencore share the figures presented during negotiations, the company refused. However, representatives were able to photograph the material shown at the meeting, confirming that the unions quoted the figures accurately. The deception lies squarely with Glencore, which is once again resorting to old tricks to mislead its workforce, and the Australian public, while prioritising profits.
"This is a multinational corporation that reportedly paid out billions of dollars to shareholders earlier this year, yet claims it can only offer workers a few crumbs if anything at all, it's the Christmas Grinch and Scrooge rolled into one." Sharkey said.
On Friday, Glencore issued further communications to employees, revealing an altered offer from what was presented earlier in the week. The revised document introduces performance-based wage outcomes entirely at the company's discretion. Under this model:
•"Outstanding employees" may receive up to 12.4% over four years
• Employees deemed "underperforming" would receive 0% increases over four years
• Workers who "meet most expectations" would receive just 6.4% over four years
"This discretionary wage model is exactly what has already failed workers. "It's the same approach that has left employees almost 13% behind CPI since the last agreement and 25-30% behind local market rates for tradespeople." Sharkey said.
The union contacted Glencore's CEO a week prior to the last bargaining meeting, outlining the serious pressures workers are facing, proposing solutions, and offering to meet to discuss a way forward. The CEO did not respond.
"That silence speaks volumes about the respect Glencore has for its workforce. A CEO on a multi-million-dollar salary, running a company propped up by Australian taxpayers, should be held accountable. If elected officials are scrutinised for spending, why shouldn't he be?" Sharkey said.
"I can guarantee he isn't choosing between Christmas presents for his kids or a turkey for the Christmas table, but many of his workers are." He said.
Glencore has been given extensive information across multiple meetings about what constitutes a competitive offer in the local labour market. Workers are asking for a fair, sustainable wage that reflects current market conditions and allows the company to retain and attract skilled workers.
"Glencore needs to stop playing games with workers' livelihoods, we've had enough of the stalling, enough of the deception. We call on Glencore to bring a genuine, competitive and sustainable offer to the table at the next bargaining meeting scheduled for Tuesday 6 January."
