Mills Elastomers, now trading as Mills Rubber Innovation in Dandenong, has terminated 7 workers on the shaky grounds of ‘operational reasons’ that their ‘services are no longer required’ reports AMWU Organiser Craig Kelly.
 
“The company is clearly exploiting the catchphrase of the WorkChoices era, just a few days before the new IR laws come into effect, claiming that these workers have been terminated for operational reasons,” said Mr Kelly.
 
“The AMWU believes that the company is shirking its responsibility to pay redundancy to these workers.”
 
“These workers have between 10 and 30 years loyal service with the company through the various changes of ownership and periods of uncertainty and to be terminated in this way is an absolute disgrace.”

“We have written to the company without a response at this stage so we will take this to the Industrial Commission. In our view, these workers have been unfairly terminated rather than being paid redundancy.
 
“It is clear to me and the workers at Mills Rubber Innovation that, when a new company buys out a struggling one, they take on the liability of the entitlements as well – exploiting loopholes in the old IR laws do not exempt the company from honouring the entitlements of its workers,” said Mr Kelly.

 To read the Age article click here: Laid-off hit hard in last days of WorkChoices