Hundreds rally behind Pacific Brands workers

More than 400 people rallied in Unanderra yesterday to express their anger at Pacific Brands' decision to offload Australian jobs.The crowd was drawn from a range of employment backgrounds and included unions members, schoolchildren, businessmen, nurses and firefighters.Also participating were Bonds workers, who were given three cheers when they joined the protest outside their workplace at the conclusion of their shift."It's our future, it's for the future generations," one long-time worker yelled.She then confided to the Mercury: "It's been terrible at work; it's like walking into a morgue."We need all the spirit we can get ... this support is amazing and let me tell you, we really need it."A 23-year-old worker said: "I've made friends at work who are like my family. It's a really upsetting, confronting thing."Among the crowd were people who had came along to lend their support.Jayson MacKenzie from Barrack Heights had never been to a rally. "Why wouldn't I come? We need to be keeping jobs in Australia."Berkeley grandmother Alice Scott reckoned the job cuts might one day make it harder for her grandchildren to find work.Clothing, Textile and Footwear Union official Hanisha McNabb called on Pacific Brands to honour the redundancy entitlements for employees who chose to leave before the official finishing date, which is expected to be this year or early 2010.In a statement, chief executive Sue Morphet said the firm would act to protect the interests of the remaining 7000 workers, and was committed to paying the entitlements of retrenched employees. "We are also prepared to discuss whether workers who find work before being made redundant are able to access early entitlements, as long as it is commercially possible," she said.Ms Morphet said the company remained open to any approach from a party interested in buying any part of the business, but had not yet received any offers.Meantime, Illawarra Labor MPs Sharon Bird and Jennie George will host a careers forum for the sacked workers at City Diggers in Wollongong at 4pm on Friday.