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600 more Ford staff stood down A TOTAL of 1850 Ford workers in Melbourne have now been stood down without pay as the effects of the industry's latest strike action hit home. The carmaker said today it had been forced to tell an additional 600 workers not to turn up for work on Monday after standing down 1250 engine and assembly line employees at its Broadmeadows and Geelong plants yesterday. The stand-downs follow a walk-out yesterday by 242 workers at Venture Industries, which supplies Ford with more than 1500 major plastic components. The Venture staff claim they are owed $25 million in entitlements after the firm announced it was closing down the operation and moving to a different site elsewhere in Melbourne. Ford spokeswoman Sinead McAlary tonight said the manufacturer had also lodged a submission with the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) in an attempt to have the union-led Venture strike action suspended. "Late this afternoon, we applied to the commission as a harmed third party. We want the bargaining period suspended because it is having a negative impact on our business," Ms McAlary said. "Essentially, we are hoping the commission will order the suspension of the protected strike action at Venture so our employees can return to work." Ms McAlary said the industrial action would not affect any of the Ford employees' jobs, adding all those stood down would be able to use their annual leave entitlements to cover any shortfalls from a loss of pay. Ford turns out 350 cars a day and since the first 1250 assembly line and engine workers were stood down yesterday morning, the company had lost sales on at least 700 vehicles, she added. All of Ford's office staff and up to 200 engineers are not affected by the industrial dispute and will be at work as normal on Monday. "Our understanding is the union (Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union) and Venture will be talking in the commission on Tuesday but we are hoping the commission will be able to hear our submission early on Monday," Ms McAlary said. "Until then, we are staying in touch with those employees who have been stood down until the dispute is resolved." Comment was tonight being sought from the union. |