15 April 2024 –
Hundreds of workers at Electrolux’s Dudley Park factory in Adelaide are set to walk off the job for the second time from 6:30am Monday 15 April as they continue to bargain for better wages and conditions.
Hundreds of workers at Electrolux’s Dudley Park factory in Adelaide are set to walk off the job for the second time from 6:30am Monday 15 April as they continue to bargain for better wages and conditions.
It follows similar action on Friday by workers who are demanding an 18% wage increase over three years after several years of wage stagnation.
The protected industrial action comes after workers voted down the company’s offer for a second time in mid-March.
The offer of an 11% wage rise over three years is less than the 14.5% over the same period offered to employees in other areas of the business.
The offer would also see employees unable to apply for and take leave when they need it, as the offer stipulates leave periods must be dictated by management.
Workers taking action have not had a wage increase since November 2022, despite annualised inflation peaking at 7.8% during this period.
Negotiations over workers’ pay and conditions have been ongoing since August 2023.
Electrolux is the only home appliance company still manufacturing in Australia, with workers at the Dudley Park factory well known for bridging domestic and international supply chain gaps with locally made parts during the COVID pandemic.
Quotes attributable to Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union SA Assistant State Secretary Stuart Gordon:
“These workers stepped up during the COVID pandemic and were classified as essential workers, but their hard work and sacrifice have not been reflected in their wages.
“Electrolux has now forecast demand for its products to stay above pre-pandemic levels in the long run. Meanwhile, workers’ wages haven’t kept up with the demand let alone the cost-of-living crisis we’re in.
“Workers are just scraping above minimum wage. They can’t afford to walk off the job but they’re doing so anyway because, frankly, they’re on unliveable wages.
“Electrolux has offered workers at Dudley Park substantially less than a similar Electrolux warehouse doing the same work not even 5 kilometres away in Adelaide. It’s no wonder the workers are angry and feel disrespected.
“The factory’s workforce is culturally diverse, with many workers covered by the EA speaking Vietnamese as a first language. All the workers there take pride in their work and most are long-term Electrolux employees.”
Media contact: Sonia Feng 0478 599 580