Locked out workers have held a breakfast barbecue outside the head office of Manildra Group in Bomaderry after negotiations between electricians working at the Shoalhaven Starches plant and management broke down.
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Last week, roughly a dozen electricians who provide essential maintenance to the Bomaderry plant found themselves unable to enter the site.
Workers and the Electrical Trade Union claim they were locked out by management in an act of "industrial bastardry," according to ETU organiser Stuart Edward.
"We've been trying to negotiate for 10 months and get a fair wage increase, and as soon as [workers] take a limited protected action to progress the negotiations, for a company of this size to lock out their electrical workforce, it's obscene," he said.
As negotiations bogged down, workers took what they described as protected industrial action and banned working on company phones, computers and vehicles, Bomaderry worker and ETU delegate Rhys Arnold said.
"In retaliation to that the company locked us out."
Prior to the breakdown in negotiations, the union and the business were negotiating a new enterprise agreement after the previous agreement expired at the beginning of 2021.
Mr Arnold said the offers put forward by management were inadequate, including a switch from salary payments to a wage which would have left workers worse off overall by up to a third of their current salary.
"We originally asked for eight per cent, knowing that it's a negotiation, and [Manildra] told us we were being ridiculous and not serious. They'd offered us two and a half and then they've barely moved, barely budged," Mr Arnold said.
The negotiations cover 13 staff who are involved in maintenance and programming across the highly automated facility.
"Essentially, we are what keeps a factory going," Mr Arnold said.
In a statement Manildra said the company valued its employees.
"We are currently working in good faith with union representatives and employees to renew our enterprise agreement on site. Employees working under this agreement receive above award pay and benefits, and current proposals by Manildra Group offer increases in wages and conditions," the statement read.
"We are deeply concerned that our proposals have been misrepresented by the ETU, in statements to the media and membership, and we want our employees to have all the information they need to make informed decisions for themselves and their families."
As Bolong Road turned into a sea of flags, some reading 'No Power, No Flour', and with passersby honking their car horns in support, Mr Edward said employees were feeling the pinch as their community became even more unaffordable but that their employer could afford a pay increase.
"We know that this company's got a lot of money, they've got three tower cranes on this site at the moment, to expand their operations down here to make even bigger profits. The company, quite clearly, could easily afford to pay the workers a substantial wage increase."
The company said it hoped to reach an agreement soon.
"We are ready and willing to resume negotiations at any time with the ETU to reach an agreement, so we can welcome our employees back to work."
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