AMWU members made redundant by the closure of Mitsubishi in Adelaide will receive an improved payout as a result of intervention by the AMWU.
Workers at the car maker’s Adelaide plant voted overwhelmingly to accept the union-negotiated redundancy package which includes an upfront payment of seven weeks pay and four-and-a-half weeks pay for every year of service.AMWU South Australian Secretary, John Camillo, said the union had to push Mitsubishi hard to get the package.
“The company dragged their feet all the time and while we prefer negotiating job security rather than redundancies, I can say that this is a very good payout.
“In the end we made Mitsubishi see that they had to do the right thing by these workers because of what they have had to give up over the last few years.”
Mr Camillo said the agreement sets new standards for the automotive industry.
The package includes an extra one week payment for every year of service regardless of how many years served, a payout of sick leave entitlements, free financial advice, $1000 to pay for legal expenses for those on WorkCover and careers counseling.
Mr Camillo said the Union has also secured funding from the State and Federal Government for a Labour Adjustment Officer to keep in contact with the workers over a two year period to assist them in finding new jobs.
“This is important, because we need to know what people have done to get new jobs — in terms of upgrading their skills — and what kind of jobs they have secured.
“The previous government used to take a more miserly approach to helping workers in this circumstance and they never bothered to find out what happened to the workers two or three years down the track.”
Mr Camillo has also suggested that Mitsubishi should sell the Tonsley Park site within six months to provide space for new manufacturing jobs.
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