SA: Dispute continues to stop car production
By Tim Dornin, National Motoring Correspondent and Jane Williams
ADELAIDE, April 24 AAP - Australia's car industry is losing millions of dollars asstrike action continues to disrupt production.
The industrial dispute, at a component producer, has already cost Ford and Holden almost$60 million between them and the bill will escalate if it continues into next week.
About 8,000 workers were stood down at the two producers today, after Holden ran outof vital exhaust components at its Adelaide factory on Monday and Ford at its Broadmeadowsplant yesterday.
Holden has also flagged the possibility of importing more components with the currentdispute the fourth at a local supply company disrupting or threatening to disrupt vehicleproduction since August last year.
Mitsubishi and Toyota continued to work today but could face a similar fate to Fordand Holden if the strike persists into next week.
All four car makers had already planned to close down on Friday, providing workerswith a four-day weekend including tomorrow's Anzac Day holiday.
About 400 workers at the Adelaide factory of Walker Australia, which supplies exhauststo the local vehicle manufacturers, voted this morning to maintain industrial action ina dispute over their enterprise agreement.
It centres on the protection of workers' entitlements, a key issue in the enterpriseagreement negotiated between workers and Walker Australia last year.
As part of that agreement the company said it would set up a trust fund to protectentitlements if no national scheme was operational by the end of last year.
The Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU) argues no such scheme is in placewhile the company believes a federal government scheme announced last year fits the bill.
The AMWU's assistant national secretary David Oliver said today management was tryingto walk away from its responsibilities to employees.
"The decision by Walker to try and shrug its obligations as an employer and leave theAustralian taxpayers to foot the bill, highlights the failings of the Howard government'semployee entitlements scheme," Mr Oliver said.
"Our members at Walker have bargained in good faith and reached an agreement with theiremployer."
But Walker Australia managing director Alex Drysdale said he could not understand whythe workers continued to defy industrial commission rulings for them to return to work.
"We've twice gone to the industrial commission and we've twice been given rulings thatthe workers should return to work, that the negotiations should continue and we shouldgo through the due process," he told ABC radio.
"And twice the union has refused to comply with the Australian industrial commission."
Holden spokesman Jason Laird said the problems involving disruption to component supplywere not acceptable.
"We're not a company that can sit here and be affected by disputes at other companiesgiven the expectations on us here and overseas," he said.
Mr Laird said Holden lost 11 days of production last year because of the strike atSydney component supplier Tristar and had now lost another two days because of the Walkerdispute.
"That's not sustainable," he said.
"Holden now needs to look at all options domestically and overseas."
Ordinarily Holden produces 620 cars a day at its Adelaide assembly plant and has ordersthis year to export 30,000.
Waiting lists for some models stretch to three or four months and could be pushed outfurther by the latest industrial trouble.
AAP tjd/ldj/de
KEYWORD: MOTOR WALKER NIGHTLEAD
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