The AMWU is meeting with Bradken management with the view of retaining workers’ jobs at the Bradken Steel foundry at Wodonga, after 21 full time staff were made redundant last week.

AMWU organiser Leigh Diehm has secured meetings with the company to discuss the future of the remaining workers at the plant.

“They’re all concerned about their jobs and have a right to be informed about what the future holds.

Mr Diehm said the decision was another blow to the Albury/Wodonga region which has suffered significant job cuts in the last month, with the loss of 250 manufacturing jobs.

“It’s particularly disappointing that the Bradken workers were made redundant after the CEO, Brian Hodges gave himself a 20% pay rise.”

The 21 redundancies follow the sacking of 30 workers from the company last month.

Mr Diehm said that staff at the plant are already working fewer hours and the union was not informed of the company’s plans.

"All they are saying to us at the moment is they hope not to have further redundancies, but certainly our members on site are very concerned about their futures."

Mr Diehm said that it was unacceptable for companies to withhold information from its workforce or the union.

“In the economic climate we’re in, they need to come clean and be honest with workers about what’s going on.”