No sheets for Christmas

After months of negotiation, workers at the Pacific Brands Sheridan site in Port Adelaide are striking for a pay increase and improved conditions. Workers at the South Australian distribution centre are paid $160 a week less than workers in the Victorian distribution centre doing identical work.

Recently, management also started imposing a “flexible” start time on its permanent workforce of 23. For more than a decade workers at Pacific Brands have started their work day at a fixed time. Now, the bosses can decree that workers have to start at any time between 6am and 10am. In the last year management has changed that start time three times. The uncertainty has wreaked havoc on workers’ lives.

Striking workers say that management has taken a hardline approach to bargaining over their claims. “They called us into the office in groups of two or three to intimidate us” one reported. “They said if we took action we’d be locked out for weeks. We’d have no back pay, and they’d cancel our Christmas party.”

Since the strike began, the workers – National Union of Workers members – have sucessfully turned away trucks scheduled to deliver stock and pick up orders. In solidarity with the strikers some truck drivers have contacted their own distribution centres to tell other drivers not to make deliveries to the site.

The bosses, under pressure to complete Christmas orders, have carried on with their threats of reprisals and a lockout. This time last year when the site fell behind schedule due to technical error, workers voluntarily worked longer shifts and weekends to help the company fill its orders on time.

“They’ve forgotten what we do”, one striking worker said. “We see millions of dollars of stock move through here, what we’re asking for is a drop in the ocean by comparison. We’re a small workforce but we want respect. Don’t mess with us! We might be small but when it comes down to it, we stick together.”