Title : Streets workers vote to end public ice cream boycott
link : Streets workers vote to end public ice cream boycott
Streets workers vote to end public ice cream boycott
Summer may have been saved by Streets factory workers, who tonight voted to end to a public boycott of the brand's ice creams after they accepted a wages offer from its multinational owners.
Key points:
- Streets workers vote to end public boycott of the company's ice creams
- Workers accept wage offer from parent company Unilever
- A union campaign to boycott Streets ice creams started last month
The workers at the factory at Minto, in Sydney's south-west, voted to ratify an in-principle agreement during a meeting tonight. The workers will still need to formally ratify the agreement next week, following the seven-day notice period required under the Fair Work Act.
"Christmas has come early for Streets workers and their supporters in the Australian community," Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) NSW secretary Steve Murphy said in a statement.
"This is an enormous victory for fairness. We are pleased that Australians can get back to enjoying these iconic Australian-made ice creams."
Union in social media blitz
On October 29, more than 140 Streets factory workers voted to run a campaign calling for a public boycott of all Streets ice-creams — including Paddle Pops, Magnums, Bubble O'Bills and Golden Gaytimes — over summer. The boycott was run by the AMWU.
It was sparked by the British-Dutch multinational that owns Streets, Unilever, receiving permission from the Fair Work Commission to terminate their enterprise bargaining agreement with staff.
Streets workers would have lost between 25 to 50 per cent of their annual salary if forced onto the award wage.
The AMWU launched a social media campaign with the hashtag #streesfreesummer, which forced Streets to cancel publicity regarding their latest product and led to a slew of bad publicity.
'The system is broken'
ACTU secretary Sally McManus welcomed the decision, but said the Streets dispute was only the most recent example involving a multinational losing patience with wage negotiations and using the Fair Work Tribunal to terminate enterprise agreements.
"We need to change the rules so that no more workers have to face the nuclear option of their agreement being terminated," she said.
"The system is broken and we need to give power to working people and protect their basic rights."
The move to terminate an enterprise agreement was first taken by rail freight operator Aurizon in 2015. It set a precedent which has been followed by a handful of multinationals dissatisfied with the state of wages negotiations with the unions.
In a statement tonight, Unilever said the in-principle agreement with the union "would deliver significant improvements in the flexibility of the factory while addressing what's important to our employees".
"We believe this outcome is in everyone's best interests."
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