Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) maintenance workers supplied by a labour hire firm have left the company after less than three months.
CUB, part of the international SABMiller group, recently hired the workers from contractor Programmed Maintenance to replace 55 workers at its Abbotsford plant in Melbourne to reduce costs.
Now, Programmed has left CUB in the lurch after just 11 weeks, over concerns for employees' wellbeing. Due to angry protesters at the site, the replacement workers had to be bussed in and out of the plant each day to avoid harrassment.
In 2009 CUB outsourced its maintenance services to contractor Quant, which re-hired many of CUBs workers. In January this year, however, CUB advised Quant, its employees and the unions that the contract would not be extended beyond July.
Union activity outside CUB’s Abbotsford brewery and the corporate office at Southbank followed, and continued as CUB went out to market on a commercial tender for a new contract, which was won by Programmed in July.
AMWU Victorian state secretary Steve Dargavel said: “Programmed tendered for and won the CUB contract on the lowest labour costs but hasn’t been able to perform and they leave CUB in disarray.”
“Labour hire contractors should take note, they face losing millions of dollars if they put themselves in a position of undercutting the wages and conditions of workers.”
Meanwhile, Victorian unions are preparing to march on the Victorian State Parliament next Thursday in a protest against the brewer.
