CFMEU to join timber workers in march over Andrews Government failure to stop Heyfield mill closure
THE Andrews Government will face ongoing protests from the union movement over the Heyfield mill’s looming closure following yesterday’s rally through Melbourne’s CBD.
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THE Andrews Government will face ongoing protests from the union movement over the Heyfield mill’s looming closure following yesterday’s rally through Melbourne’s CBD.
Premier Daniel Andrews today said the unions were doing their job which was “representing their members”.
Unions, including the CFMEU, have declared they won’t give up on the mill and will continue protesting until the government increases its offer of timber supply to keep the business open.
Premier Daniel Andrews rejected the unions’ call for the timber supply offer to be increased, saying other companies were interested in purchasing the mill.
“The government has made its intentions clear as well, and we would urge the current ownership, the current management, to sit down with us, to continue those discussions,” Mr Andrews said.
“People are free to draw their own conclusions, and again, the very consistent position the government has put — and we’ve had our senior officials look through the finances of the company — we made them an offer of $5 million of further support, we don’t make offers to businesses that are not viable, so we’ve had a good look at that.”
Workers from the mill and their families yesterday joined delegations from throughout the CFMEU, including its powerful construction division, as they closed down parts of the city and marched to the steps of state parliament.
CFMEU state secretary John Setka said his construction division was fully behind the workers’ fight to keep the mill open.
Mr Setka questioned why the State Government introduced a 200 metre exclusion zone in Gippsland around each possible sighting of the Leadbeater’s possum.
He said 7000 jobs were at risk in Victoria if the mill closed.
“When I first heard about what was going on, someone said to me it has something to do with Leadbeater’s possums ... I actually thought they were joking,” Mr Setka said.
“This extinct possum — from what I can see so far the count’s at about 20,000 — it’s not very extinct if you ask me.
“But unless we do something about it, the one thing that will be extinct is the industry at Heyfield, the timber mill.
Victorian Trades Hall secretary Luke Hilakari said the entire union movement was behind the workers.
“The work you do is just so important. Some people might say it’s just 250 jobs, but you know it’s much more than that — it’s all the people who drive the trucks, it’s all the people with the product that comes to Melbourne all across Australia,” Mr Hilakari told the rally.
The union has not ruled out more rallies through Melbourne’s CBD to increase the pressure on the State Government to provide more timber to the mill.
ASH last week revealed the mill would close in September 2018 after VicForests offered them a three-year supply deal of 80,000 cubic metres of wood in the first year and 60,000 in each of the years after that.
According to the Andrews Government and VicForests, it would be unsustainable to offer the mill 130,000 cubic metres of timber.
CFMEU forestry Sec Frank Vari calls on Andrews Gov to provide the timber and says "we're not putting up the white flag!" #springst pic.twitter.com/rjYUKLvYqa
— Anthony Galloway (@Gallo_Ways) March 21, 2017
But protesters say they are not ready to put up the white flag, hoping the state government will provide the timber to keep their community alive.
Victoria’s Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford on Monday said the company’s request of at least 130,000 cubic metres of saw logs a year was unsustainable.
“If the government needed to buy the mill to save the jobs, then that’s not something that we are ruling out,” she said.
The union show of support comes as sources have told the Herald Sun that taxpayers would fork out more than $90 million if the government made an offer to buy the mill, including on refitting and automating the mill to operate to an annual supply of 60,000 cubic metres.
Premier Daniel Andrews on Friday said the move to buy the mill would cost less than $50 million, but that did not include the cost of buying the timber and upgrading the plant.
Today, Mr Andrews refused to discuss potential job losses at the mill but said he was committed to selling the company and keeping the mill open.
“My message to those workers is clear, your jobs are worth fighting for,” Mr Andrews said.
“There are a number of commercial parties who are interested in purchasing the business.
“We now need the company to sit down with us.”
“We do hope that the owners of the company engage with us in a meaningful way.”
It is understood ASH representatives are meeting with members of the Tasmanian Government on Tuesday to discuss other business, however moving the mill to Burnie will now be part of the discussion which is expected to ‘’advance and accelerate’’.
ASH spokesman James Lantry supported the rally and said employees were devastated by the government’s handling of the situation.
``We are fully supportive of any efforts made by the CFMEU and others to change the government’s mind. We we have given them a viable proposal for the government which would have not cost taxpayers any money and kept everyone employed. It was a sensible deal,” Mr Lantry said.
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