Detention centre strike called off

Date: 28 January 2003

Refugee detention centre workers at Australia's six centres have forced Australasian Correctional Management to pay the $18 Living Wage increase - and backdate the payment to last September - followjng a threat to call the first ever 24hour national strike - LHMU Assistant National Secretary, Jo-anne Schofield said today.

The more than 500 workers at Port Hedland and Perth in Western Australia, Woomera and Baxter in South Australia, Marinbyrnong in Victoria and Villawood in Sydney were scheduled to stop work from 8am tomorrow with pickets and rallies outside the centres.

" In a last minute deal ACM this morning decided to avoid the embarrassment of a national strike by paying a wage increase which all other low-waged workers have had in their pockets since last year," Jo-anne Schofield said.

" The company first met with us last Friday - only after we issued the threat of a strike - to discuss the workforces long-standing concerns.

" The union has had considerable problems getting the company to sit down and talk with its members.

" Our members were keen to settle all disputes with them before they lose the contract to Group 4 Falck Solutions who have been nominated by the Federal Government as the preferred tenderer to run detention centres.

The LHMU proudly represents around 130,000 hard working women and men throughout Australia

For further info: Jo-anne Schofield, LHMU Assistant National Secretary, 8204 7231 or 0425 242 691

LaborNET is proudly created, designed and programmed
by Social Change Online for the Labor Council of NSW
[Credits] [Site Matters]