Workers at car components factory FRN, which supplies GM’s Australian unit Holden, have returned to work after nearly two weeks on strike.
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The strike resulted from parent company Huon Corporation going into voluntary administration at the end of last month (30 June).
Employees at Huon’s other major site, Empire Rubber in Bendigo, Victoria state, have also returned to work after Holden signed on to a rescue package with six other customers on Tuesday (26 July).
The two facilities, which together employ more than 600 people, will now receive a $A10m cash injection through the rescue packages.
National Union of Workers Victorian state secretary Antony Thow said: “We are just extremely grateful for the Australian Industrial Relations Commission’s intervention last week, which helped to broker the deal to salvage these jobs and entitlements.
“The successful resolution of this dispute shows just how important unions and the AIRC are to the Australian industrial landscape and it is about time the federal government realised this, and called off its full-scale attack on both institutions.”
The rescue package was also signed by Ford and Toyota, according to local reports, and will allow the plants to operate for a further three months.
“We have made huge progress by having the seven major customers sign on to this rescue package, but it is just part of the plan to salvage as many jobs as we can, and ensure those unfortunately made redundant receive their full entitlements,” added Thow.
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