The South Coast Labour Council has endorsed a ban on the shipment of any textile machinery offshore after Pacific Brands announced that nearly 300 Illawarra workers would lose their jobs.
The manufacturer of brands such as Bonds, KingGee, Playtex and Dunlop is making 1850 workers across Australia redundant, including 281 from factories at Unanderra and Bellambi.
Pacific Brands has said there are no immediate plans to move machinery offshore.
However last week the Transport Workers Union national secretary Tony Sheldon said he would block any attempt to move machinery, installed using $17 million in Federal Government grants, offshore.
That move was backed by the South Coast Labour Council (SCLC) at its executive meeting this morning.
"The union movement on the South Coast and the community more broadly, we believe, will stand by these workers and ensure that everything possible that can be done will be done to protect their jobs and entitlements," SCLC secretary Arthur Rorris said.
"The bans on the movement of taxpayer subsidised machinery from these Illawarra factories is a practical expression of support and solidarity with these workers betrayed by their employer."
Mr Rorris said the SCLC would also support a community rally to be held outside the Bonds Factory at Unanderra on March 10.
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