Negotiations for a new Enterprise Agreement (EBA) have resumed at the Glencore Copper Refinery in North Queensland after months of uncertainty. Yet workers say Glencore is refusing to come to the table in good faith even after receiving the $600m taxpayer funded bailout to keep the operation running for the next three years.
ETU State Organiser Liam Sharkey said the EBA expired in May, but during the uncertainty unions stood united with Glencore in calling for a government assistance package finally delivered in October.
"Workers backed Glencore when the company needed support, but since securing the taxpayer funded bailout, Glencore has offered nothing but a deeply inadequate offer," Mr Sharkey said.
Across three EBA meetings held since the taxpayer funded $600m bailout announcement, Glencore has failed to make any meaningful movement, leaving workers furious and feeling betrayed.
"Our members helped save this refinery. Now they expect Glencore to step up and deliver a fair deal, not drag its feet while workers struggle with rising costs. Many of our members are paid 25-30% below the going rate for sparkies in the local area," Mr Sharkey said.
He said the company's refusal to pay competitive wages had created a recruitment and retention crisis, one that Glencore is now trying to plug with contractors costing up to four times as much.
"They can't recruit anyone to do the work for the wages they're paying they have four electrical vacancies as we speak, yet they're prepared to shell out three to four times as much for a contractor compared to what it would cost to employ a full time sparkie. Instead of lifting wages to a fair and sustainable level for existing and future staff, they are wasting money. How is this a good long term investment delivering returns for taxpayers' money? It's not."
"It's bordering on corporate incompetence, and taxpayers should be furious about this waste, all because the company has an ideological opposition to workers' rights and decent wages."
Glencore are refusing to guarantee any annual wage increase at all, offering just 6.9-10.4% over 4 years, based on individual performance at the discretion of the company. This is well behind CPI currently running at 3.8% per annum.
"Our members are already 13% behind CPI since their last agreement. This latest offer is appalling. If individual performance management outcomes, were used to decide corporate pay packets, those in charge should be paying taxpayers their money back!," he said.
Mr Sharkey issued an ominous warning, saying workers feel so betrayed and let down by the company that they are now seriously contemplating an industrial action campaign. "Many of our members are saying, what have we got to lose?" he said.
