SABMiller do it again

Carlton United Breweries, an Australian company, have sacked 54 union machine maintenance workers at their Melbourne brewery in preparation for the impending merger between their parent company, SABMiller, and AB InBev. The workers, members of the AMWU and the ETU unions, were told their jobs would be contracted out, but that they could return to work for the subcontractor, as long as they accepted a 65% pay cut.

The unions are challenging the dismissals by demanding reinstatement of the sacked workers and compliance with existing agreements. They are supported in this by the production workers at the plant who are represented by another union, United Voice. They describe the dismissals as union-busting: the company had deliberately stockpiled supplies for pubs and big retailers to undermine the effects of the strike they knew their actions would provoke. Before the dismissals, the maintenance crews were being worked for more than 60 hours per week but management refused to hire new workers to reduce the pressure.

Although AB InBev has not yet taken over SABMiller, workers in the latter conglomerate are already suffering from the notorious cost-cutting which drives 3G Capital, owners of AB InBev. Now even the suggestion of an acquisition by 3G leads to job cuts.

Please sign this IUF* petition to show support and send a message to the company.

These companies have form: I wrote a post almost exactly a year ago called 'SABMiller's True Colours', and just over three years ago about AB InBev in 'Brewery with a behavioural disorder?'

* The IUF is the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations.