A lock out and a strike are very different. A strike is when workers temporarily stop work. A lock out is when the company refuses to allow union members to work until they have either left the union or accepted the company’s terms of employment. In this case it was a 20 cent pay rise now and 15 cents in six months. Lock outs are an attempt to starve workers back to work and are a very nasty tactic to use against workers who receive below the poverty line wages.

Pay rises have been agreed to. The Memorandum of Understanding is clear
that pay rises have been agreed between the company and the union. To state that pay rises have not been agreed to is bad faith and we have asked for urgent mediation on this issue.

Lock outs and poverty wages will not be tolerated. Our union will not tolerate lock outs and is prepared to use any means necessary to break employer lock outs. If Synovate does not negotiate the meaning of “satisfactory performance” with union delegates in good faith and attempts to wriggle out of what was agreed in mediation, we will escalate our campaign against Synovate and their clients.

New Zealand and Australian workers must be respected. If international corporations want to do business in our country, they must respect the workers who do the work for them. Companies like Synovate are guests in our country. We do not think corporations should move work to New Zealand to undercut wages and conditions in Australian call centres.

Earlier releases on the lock-out:

Lock out lifted in Synovate call centre dispute

Early Morning Prayer Meeting at Synovate Director’s House

Bad Friday for Crucified Call Centre Workers

Photos

Memorandum of Understanding

You will need Adobe Acrobat reader to view the Memorandum. If you do not have Acrobat. You can download it for free by clicking here.


Media coverage:
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