UNIONISTS brought traffic in central Geelong to a standstill today as they demanded more jobs, assistance and transition help for workers laid off or facing retrenchment.
Spearheaded by Geelong Trades Hall’s Tim Gooden, the lunchtime march down Moorabool St to the waterfront saw some 400 chanting members and supporters of the CFMEU, ETU, MUA, AMWU, CEPU, UFU and other unions demand more state and federal government help for Geelong workers.
AWU boss Ben Davis warned of Geelong facing a bleak future similar to that faced by Newcastle and the Latrobe Valley did when manufacturing jobs were cut in those regions.
Flags and placards fluttered in the breeze as union speakers put their jobs case from the back of a trailer before moving onto the waterfront for a barbecue and rides for schoolkids on the first day of their Easter holidays.
