Boeing Dispute Update 1

FURTHER STOP WORK MEETING

Formal notices advising Boeing and the Australian Industrial Relations Commission of this intended industrial action have been sent by the AWU on behalf of the membership.

BOEING'S STAFF UPDATE - 20 APRIL

AWU members would have received a letter from Tony Trew on 20 April, 2005 regarding the decision by AWU members to undertake a stop work meeting on 21 April, 2005.

The response of Boeing is completely unsurprising and is typical of an employer that is not willing to even consider entering into meaningful and constructive discussions with AWU members at the site for a fair and reasonable collective agreement.

If Boeing is prepared to discuss issues regarding pay rates and conditions of employment, it should respect the right of its employees to do so collectively through a strong union like the AWU.

"FOCUS GROUP" DISCUSSIONS

Boeing has proposed the establishment of a "focus group" to discuss issues regarding the TRP and other conditions of employment.

AWU members should ask themselves this - "WHY DID IT TAKE AN AWU PRESENCE TO GET THE BALL ROLLING ON THESE ISSUES?"

The answer might lie in the fact that the company is desperately trying to prevent AWU members from effectively negotiating a fair and reasonable collective certified agreement. In doing so, they want to deal directly with employees, thereby limiting the ability of employees to have proper industrial representation.

If, as Boeing says, it respects the right of employees to be members of the AWU, why can't Boeing respect the right of AWU members to negotiate about these issues collectively?

The advice of the AWU to its members is simple - stick to your guns and stay the course! Don't sign off on anything without getting proper industrial advice first.

Contact Details
AWU National Office
Ph:  (03) 8327 0888
Fax: (03) 8327 0899
members@awu.net.au
http://www.awu.net.au/