Ford ‘breaks’ payout pledge

Andrew Mathieson
Geelong Ford workers set to lose their jobs have rejected a payout offer, accusing the company of breaking its promise of industry-standard redundancy entitlements.
Australian Manufacturers Workers Union accused the company of withdrawing its “enhanced voluntary severance package” in favour of an inferior payout.
Ford had offered the enhanced package when it announced in July the loss of 600 jobs at its Geelong and Broadmeadows factories by 2010, the union said.
The union took Ford to the Industrial Relations Commission this week in a bid to force the company into restoring the enhanced package.
Angry members told the Independent some management staff had received “golden handshakes” at the expense of workers’ payouts.
AMWU vehicle division federal secretary Ian Jones said the company’s latest offer was “clearly deficient”.
“They are required to negotiate something that is more akin to an industry standard,” Mr Jones said.
“It (the enhanced package) has been set effectively by the other car manufacturers and Ford hasn’t accepted our arguments on that.”
Mr Jones believed the union and Ford had made “further and good progress” toward striking a deal despite ending up in the IRC.
“I’m confident that we should be in a position to repair it,” he said.
Ford workers’ vehicle union delegate Tony Anderson said the difference between the redundancy offers was “substantial”.
Mr Anderson said workers would consider their next move if negotiations broke down but had ruled out jeopardising production of Ford’s latest models.
“It’s not something we want to do and we hope we can reach an agreement to take to our members,” Mr Anderson said.
Ford company spokesperson Sinead McAlary said the company declined to comment on matters relating to the commission, except that negotiations were “moving along”.