Steelworkers who voted themselves out of a job to save Port Kembla BlueScope are 'heroes'

While it means plenty of jobs have been saved, there are still 500 people who will be out of work over the next few months.

Some of these steelworkers voted in favour of cuts to conditions, knowing they were also voting themselves out of a job.

Australian Workers Union Port Kembla Secretary Wayne Phillips praised the actions of these steelworkers in saving Port Kembla.

“They made the ultimate sacrifice for the long-term benefit of this works and, as far as I’m concerned, they’ll always go down as the heroes of this dispute,” Mr Phillips said.

“I don’t know what I could say to make them feel better. I don’t know what I could do - maybe find them another job. Words can’t express what they’ve done.”

There will be 500 redundancies at Port Kembla – 300 steelworkers and 200 in support and services.

Mr Phillips said redundancies are already taking place, with all 500 employees expected to be gone by the end of the year.

“Our job now is to ensure that as many jobs as possible that have to go are on a voluntary basis,” he said.

“If they’re tapped on the shoulder, there may be someone else in your area who wants to swap with you.

“We’ve got ensure we maximise the voluntary process and not the forced.”

The workers are yet to formally accept the cuts to their conditions and the three-year wage freeze.

Mr Phillips said there will be mass meetings at the Port Kembla and Spring Hill sites on Thursday next week where the workers will vote on the proposal.

Mr Phillips said he was “pretty sure” the workers will vote in favour of the package that helped to save steelworks, as they did  at a pivotal meeting at the Fraternity Club in Fairy Meadow earlier this month.

Despite the state government foregoing $60 million in payroll tax over the next three years, Mr Phillips said that wasn’t the reason the gates stayed open.

“This has been achieved not by the state government doing what they had to do or by me or Arthur [Rorris], it’s been achieved by our members on the job, giving up conditions, sacrificing jobs and the community getting behind 100 per cent,” he said.

“That’s what saved the steelworks.”