Workers at Campbell’s Soups in Shepparton have been locked out by the company while taking protected industrial action.

Negotiations stalled for a new collective agreement when the company insisted on including a flexibility clause that would allow management to undermine the agreement through individual arrangements.

AMWU Victorian Secretary Steve Dargavel said the union was willing to include flexible arrangements, but not one that would leave workers worse off.

“We don’t want a clause that allows the employer to put pressure on a worker to accept individual arrangements that undermine the conditions that have been collectively bargained for and agreed.

“The clause the company wants would allow them to unilaterally approach individual workers and demand changes to key terms of employment.”

“We can’t allow the conditions in the collective agreement to be undermined.”

Organiser Damian King said the workers were shocked that the company had locked them out.

“They see this issue as very straightforward,” he said. “We either have a collective agreement or we don’t and if you allow these flexibility clauses it means that the boss can make any worker go on an individual contract that undermines the agreement.

“What’s the point of having the agreement, if the boss can override it?”

The lockout at Campbell’s Soups has coincided with Liberal Opposition Leader, Malcolm Turnbull refusing to rule out bringing back individual contracts under a coalition government.

Although the Liberal Party declared that ‘WorkChoices’ was dead after losing the last election, Mr Turnbull was this week talking about a return to AWAs.