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| Summer ice-cream boycott threat over Streets workplace row | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Australians may be asked to boycott some of the nation’s best-known ice creams over summer, as Streets workers threaten to emulate the successful Carlton and United Breweries campaign. | Australians may be asked to boycott some of the nation’s best-known ice creams over summer, as Streets workers threaten to emulate the successful Carlton and United Breweries campaign. |
| The New South Wales-based workers who make Paddle Pops, Golden Gaytimes, Bubble O’Bills and Magnums are locked in an increasingly bitter dispute with Unilever, the multinational that owns Streets. | The New South Wales-based workers who make Paddle Pops, Golden Gaytimes, Bubble O’Bills and Magnums are locked in an increasingly bitter dispute with Unilever, the multinational that owns Streets. |
| The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union says a recent push by the company to terminate the existing enterprise agreement would mean a 46% pay cut and significant loss of working conditions – claims the company rejects. | The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union says a recent push by the company to terminate the existing enterprise agreement would mean a 46% pay cut and significant loss of working conditions – claims the company rejects. |
| Like the CUB campaign, the boycott would aim to put pressure on Unilever by hitting its branding and bottom line, which rose to an $11.24bn (€7.47bn) full-year pretax profit in 2016. | Like the CUB campaign, the boycott would aim to put pressure on Unilever by hitting its branding and bottom line, which rose to an $11.24bn (€7.47bn) full-year pretax profit in 2016. |
| The union’s NSW secretary, Steve Murphy, said Australians would be more easily persuaded to switch ice creams than beer, giving the boycott more potency than the CUB campaign. | The union’s NSW secretary, Steve Murphy, said Australians would be more easily persuaded to switch ice creams than beer, giving the boycott more potency than the CUB campaign. |
| “If you think about the CUB campaign to boycott their beers – this is Australia, it’s pretty hard to not drink the beer that you love,” Murphy said. | “If you think about the CUB campaign to boycott their beers – this is Australia, it’s pretty hard to not drink the beer that you love,” Murphy said. |
| “It’s a whole lot easier to change the brand of ice cream you eat. There are other brands of ice cream that are made in Australia. You don’t particularly get a taste for one brand, you can change pretty readily. | “It’s a whole lot easier to change the brand of ice cream you eat. There are other brands of ice cream that are made in Australia. You don’t particularly get a taste for one brand, you can change pretty readily. |
| “So I think the effect of a boycott on Unilever is going to be pretty signficant, we saw from CUB they lost a significant amount of their market share for a long period of time.” | “So I think the effect of a boycott on Unilever is going to be pretty signficant, we saw from CUB they lost a significant amount of their market share for a long period of time.” |
| The ice creams are made at a plant in the outer Sydney suburb of Minto, where the union has about 145 members, who operate across a rotating five-day roster. | The ice creams are made at a plant in the outer Sydney suburb of Minto, where the union has about 145 members, who operate across a rotating five-day roster. |
| Unilever said the costs of production at the site remained high and were not competitive with other manufacturers. | Unilever said the costs of production at the site remained high and were not competitive with other manufacturers. |
| The company applied to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to terminate the agreement last month, saying it had explored all other options to “create more flexible working conditions and enhance the competitiveness and viability of the factory in the longer term”. | The company applied to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to terminate the agreement last month, saying it had explored all other options to “create more flexible working conditions and enhance the competitiveness and viability of the factory in the longer term”. |
| Unilever said the union’s claim that doing so would cause a 46% pay cut had “no basis in fact”. | Unilever said the union’s claim that doing so would cause a 46% pay cut had “no basis in fact”. |
| “Having been at the centre of negotiations for more than 16 months the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) should be aware of this,” it said in a statement. | “Having been at the centre of negotiations for more than 16 months the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) should be aware of this,” it said in a statement. |
| Murphy said workers had already reduced the cost of production at Minto significantly, and were given guarantees that doing so would ensure the site’s viability. | Murphy said workers had already reduced the cost of production at Minto significantly, and were given guarantees that doing so would ensure the site’s viability. |
| He said real milk was used in local production, and any move offshore could mean powder would be substituted. | He said real milk was used in local production, and any move offshore could mean powder would be substituted. |
| The union said the company’s application to the FWC had left workers fearing for their livelihoods and the future of their families. | The union said the company’s application to the FWC had left workers fearing for their livelihoods and the future of their families. |
| “They’re worried about the effect on their family, they’re worried about what their future is going to look like. One person even wrote that they’re worried about whether or not their family would be able to stay together if their pay was cut by 46%,” Murphy said. | “They’re worried about the effect on their family, they’re worried about what their future is going to look like. One person even wrote that they’re worried about whether or not their family would be able to stay together if their pay was cut by 46%,” Murphy said. |
| “There’s a level of anger among the workers. But the biggest feeling is disappointment. They’ve worked hard for this company, they work 24 hours a day … to make ice cream, and the first time there’s a hiccup in whatever the company’s agenda is, they just go into an all-out attack on the workers.” | “There’s a level of anger among the workers. But the biggest feeling is disappointment. They’ve worked hard for this company, they work 24 hours a day … to make ice cream, and the first time there’s a hiccup in whatever the company’s agenda is, they just go into an all-out attack on the workers.” |
| The dispute began when negotiations over a new enterprise agreement, overseen by the FWC, broke down. | The dispute began when negotiations over a new enterprise agreement, overseen by the FWC, broke down. |
| After 15 months of discussions, workers overwhelmingly voted to reject the company’s offer. The AMWU said Unilever then refused to participate in further negotiations. | After 15 months of discussions, workers overwhelmingly voted to reject the company’s offer. The AMWU said Unilever then refused to participate in further negotiations. |
| “We had the agreement voted down 132 to nine, that was in July,” Murphy said. “Since then the company has not met with the union once, they refused to meet with us, they refused to allow our delegates to participate in any discussions about the agreement. | “We had the agreement voted down 132 to nine, that was in July,” Murphy said. “Since then the company has not met with the union once, they refused to meet with us, they refused to allow our delegates to participate in any discussions about the agreement. |
| “They refuse to allow any of our delegates to attend the FWC meetings, and what they’ve said is that ‘if any of your delegates show up to the commission, we will leave’.” | “They refuse to allow any of our delegates to attend the FWC meetings, and what they’ve said is that ‘if any of your delegates show up to the commission, we will leave’.” |
| Murphy said the relationship with the company had previously been healthy and productive. Now, he said, the company had installed CCTV to monitor workers, and threatened anyone who shared posts as part of the AMWU’s social media campaign. | Murphy said the relationship with the company had previously been healthy and productive. Now, he said, the company had installed CCTV to monitor workers, and threatened anyone who shared posts as part of the AMWU’s social media campaign. |
| If the FWC approves Unilever’s termination application, workers would be put back on award rates until a new agreement was reached. | If the FWC approves Unilever’s termination application, workers would be put back on award rates until a new agreement was reached. |
| The company has undertaken to preserve some clauses in the agreement until 30 April, but Murphy said that was of little comfort. | The company has undertaken to preserve some clauses in the agreement until 30 April, but Murphy said that was of little comfort. |
| “When the company has gone three months so far and refuses to come to the negotiating table, refuses to sit down in good faith and iron out the wording for five different clauses, it’s really got no value to those workers,” he said. | “When the company has gone three months so far and refuses to come to the negotiating table, refuses to sit down in good faith and iron out the wording for five different clauses, it’s really got no value to those workers,” he said. |
| Unilever has previously faced criticism for reducing the size of Paddle Pops by 15%. | Unilever has previously faced criticism for reducing the size of Paddle Pops by 15%. |
| The company has been contacted for comment. | The company has been contacted for comment. |