The Chaff

Lahana

Lahana is the name of a boat competing in the Sydney to Hobart this year . This vessel has our boss on board . John Honan is part owner with Peter Millard the skipper . Peter is Caroline Honans husband . These two intrepid souls not only own the vessel but they are crewing for the race also . 

The Sydney to Hobart is not for the fainthearted , I would certainly think twice myself . When it turns nasty , this race is the most dangerous in the world . 

So I dips my lids to the lads .

John is the third generation mogul . History shows that the third born can find the going tough . 

Witness Lachlan and James . We're hoping John bucks the trend !

It appears that John and Peter have done their homework and have been crewing for some time preparing for this event . 

No wonder we couldn't get an answer about the four per cent . John was out of range you see , in the middle of bloody nowhere , somewhere in the vast ocean that could swallow him up any moment . And that is a problem , he is the future of the company and here he is risking his life . 

Peter and John are trying to beat the likes of Neville Crichton while trying not to get knocked into the sea by the boom . Quite a tall order . 

But I'm with him . He's my Boss so naturally I want him to do well and also survive . Lahana is currently positioned 7th for line honours and 60th for overall classification about halfway . Go Manildra !

Wild Oats is the Maxi to beat . Or Alfa Romeo or Konica Minolta ....?

Except Konica Minolta is now called Lahana which is where we come in.........!

Lahana means cabbage in Turkish . 

The vessel should be called the Manildra Magic and if they want a decent crew they should let us know .

On Monday there was a photo in the Herald with a Lahana crew member lying down relaxing up the bow of the boat . Look nobody does lying down relaxing better than me . Just thought I'd mention it .

Here is the fleet heading for the heads .

Congratulations to John Honan and Peter Millard the skipper they have finished in eighth position for line honours . At the time of writing only ten boats had finished , Lahana were fourth for NSW vessels . Overall classifications will be decided once the whole fleet has finished .

Here are some photos borrowed from various media . 

Xmas Card Loud And Clear

Hear Ye Hear Ye

It's not often that the working man and woman here at Manildra agree on something without exception . But I have not heard one bad thing about the Xmas Card given to us by Brunner ( John B ) .

Everyone thinks it's a good thing ...... Ok in fact we all think it's the bloody greatest thing that's happened here for ages .

I'm going to spend mine on .........hang on my wife has snaffled it and it appears it is already spent . So thanks Brunner ( John B ) I'm going to love all those hair products and face creams !

I keep mentioning that the gift comes from Brunner ( John B ) . Well what do you think ? 

I looked at the list of bosses on the card and for the life of me couldn't imagine say Tony F. or John C.  coming up with the idea of giving the staff a hundred bucks each for Xmas ..... Can you ?

Take Daniel for example he's like a Swiss Bank that gives nothing away . His view of Industrial Relations Down Under would indicate he would rather walk over hot coals then give away hard cash as a gift .

Apart from the Bank of Scotland recently , Scots generally have a well earned reputation for tight purse strings and Tony is a shining example of this tradition . I'm fairly certain this was not his brainchild .

Chillers is Chillers . The fall guy , gets blamed for everything . He would be the character that everyone boos at the pantomine . And he plays the role to the hilt ..... The gift wasn't his idea .

Gary Eggo is well known for being a serious and responsible paymaster . He is that diligent and careful with it you would swear it was his own money . I don't think it was his idea but I'm not 100% sure like I am with the other signatories . He is very supportive of a Xmas party so you never know .

Brendan Lea can be a generous fellow no question , but not this generous . 

There is one anomaly and that's Carolyn , I knew she was influential but I didn't realize how much !

I'll have to watch it around Davo now , his Missus runs the joint ! 

Jokes aside , I've heard way too many people saying the Xmas card is better than a party . Wrong wrong wrong , nothing is better than a good party especially one where all the workmates and their partners get to bond over food and alcohol and music .

Parties are magic with synergies created that are not captured with a gift voucher no matter how generous the amount .  

Play that record again mate , I'm going to dance my arse off just as soon as I've drunk this schooner and eaten this tucker 

The next day at work is a pearler . It always is after a Xmas party .

Have a good day everyone . 

  

Concrete Stuff

A brand new Smoko room . With all the bells and whistles .

I especially like the cabinets that now house the vending machines . Let's hope that the dickheads that normally brutalize these items will not rear their ugly heads . Also the shelves are really well thought out and the materials used are perfect for this type of room . 

A very significant gesture by the incoming General Manager . It sends a message that workers are important and deserve a decent Smoko room . Well done , I like it and I am glad to see it being used because otherwise the office workers will snaffle it for their own . 

The best thing about the room is , it is real and ready . No empty promises . 

The real surprise has been the gift vouchers , talk about morale booster ! Normally recalcitrant employees have been well impressed with this latest manouvre . I heard it mentioned that Brunners has had no time to organize a Xmas party so we are getting these generous vouchers instead . What can I say but Bravo Bravo Bravo !

This is real shit , concrete stuff for us because we're good . Brilliant !

Unsolicited , unnegotiated , unexpected !

Not unnoticed ................  

It also augers well for next year . Perhaps we now have a Manager that will go the extra mile for a Xmas party . One can only hope .

One bloke mentioned to me that he would rather have a voucher then a Xmas party next year. If this is the prevailing view then I suppose  the problem is solved right there . 

I disagree , I think a really good party is better but that's just me . 

Whatever happens we'll see but there is no doubt these vouchers are hitting the spot right now . Merry Xmas . 

Xmas Greetings To All

It is the same card as last year . 

except for this addition ! Glory to the Highest .......... 

 All the best to all you readers . 

The Cripps And The Bloods

Done And Dusted

Bens favourite phrase recently has been " done and dusted " , as in never in doubt . He would be the winner , the only question was the distance of the winning margin . Indeed .

So it is the Inaugural AllCost Invitational has been taken out by Ben Allcorn . Yes it hurts , of course it does , but luckily I'm a good loser and also Ben was a gracious winner .

I have copped a bit of stick from the punters who backed me and no doubt Monday morning will be an interesting day . The Men in White are filthy and I might be cleaning out a silo that day .  

But the real pain was felt on the way home to Orange after the race/pub , I was spruiking my personal best time to my wife as she drove , I told her of my supreme effort , my aching muscles , the age difference . 

" He flogged you " she laughed . 

That's pain !

Tracy Middleton is also hurting as she watches me vainly trying to catch up . For her it's Reschs refreshes as it is for Muldoon . Sorry Guys !

If it's any consolation I have never ridden as fast as I did today in the Inaugural AllCost Invitational . My name will not be on the trophy but it is partly named after me . For myself I take victory in that I have never ridden faster than 27km/h on that route but on the day I was over 31km/h .

You know when Olympic athletes console themselves after a loss with the fact they have just performed a PB ?  Well that's me !

To Ben Allcorn go the spoils and deservedly so . He actually backed off at the end so we could go over the line together but I waved him on . I was never close enough to him to justify that gesture but I appreciated it anyway . 

And yeah that's right it's Reschs refreshes for me too . Candy from a baby ...........

 

The System Works

Like I said before , the system works . This has been a long drawn saga but we have got there . 

This has been a full on year , there is no denying . All sorts of issues have contributed to the delay in creating this EBA . But at the end of the day , we are triumphant ! 

No I'm actually joking because that's not how it feels . No victory dances here , just a quiet satisfaction that we stuck together in a civilized way to obtain our due . What we perceived to be our due ! 

Perception is everything , and this EBA has been a watershed for the employees at Manildra . I think that Management made a mistake and misread the mood of the workforce . The ensuing fall out resulted in increased Union membership and significant support from the NUW .

I suspect never again will we be fractured like in the past . 

One of our delegates mentioned " playing the game " and unfortunately he is right , Management negotiated by the tried and tested ways of the past when this time a more nuanced response was required .

It was not forthcoming and for the future the bosses are going to be saddled with an organized and united workforce . 

Having said that , I must point out that Brunners and Chillers were polite and civil throughout , even sometimes in the face of hotheadedness from our side . So fair go , they played the game even perhaps when they were not calling the shots .

Another unintended consequence has been the renewal of the Delegate ranks where we have a nicely balanced team . Special mention to Spence for his commitment , Muldoon for his drive and courage , Mick Gibbo for his smarts and organizational ability . 

Bob Kizana has put in a long innings as delegate and has bowed out . Many many employees have benefitted from his time as delegate , including me ! Thanks Bob .

There are a couple of things to iron out before the EBA is bedded down , including an important meeting where we officially vote on the four per cent . Last meeting we voted but that doesn't count , Garry Cripps will be present on the 9th Dec for a proper vote .

We need everyone to come along because the number of votes is officially recorded by Fairwork Australia . Even though we have a result , please come and vote . It's quite important .

Also every employee should get a copy of the EBA around that time . The idea is that everyone reads it before the document becomes official on the 14th . Any concerns or clarification please let us know .

This is a great thing . Believe me the previous EBA was hard to get a copy of . 

Now we have a new era and congratulations to the workforce at Manildra . In spite of the longevity of the process we have just endured , it has been to our immense benefit .  

 

Garry Cripps

We have a meeting 11th November with Management . Everybody is looking forward to it .

I'm certain everything will be resolved on this date otherwise it's going to interfere with my cycling training . 

Actually thank you Garry Cripps for giving me something else to think about , apart from Big Bike .

So for all those anxiously waiting for something to happen , it's going to be the 11th when Management give us the 4% . Or their latest offer !

Really though , you wouldn't imagine there is going to be any more fucking about . The last Union meeting produced a vote that left nothing in doubt . Democracy spoke and it was unanimous . The only person who didn't put their hand up shouldn't have been there in the first place .

It was very good to have Garry address the troops and on behalf of the membership here , let me thank Garry for his effort . His plate was full anyway but he undertook many trips from Sydney to nut this out .

I thought his visits to Gunnedah and Nerrandera were courteous and important . They are our brothers in all of this and we thank them for their support .

Regardless what happens on the 11th , the new EBA is an improved version of what has become before and gives us something solid to work with for the next negotiation . We start that one the day after we finish this one . Just kidding but that's how it's going to feel .

Manildra wanted a two year agreement and we are prepared to give them that as long as we get the ............ you  know ! We all bloody know . Let's just do it .

On a tangent slightly , my best friend in the whole world , is an extremely talented artist , his computer skills can be seen on such films as Happy Feet , 300 , The Matrix and many more . You would think he earns more than me wouldn't you ? 

Actually he earns less and when he is brought in on a tight deadline to do seven sixteen hour shifts in a row . He doesn't get a cracker extra .

The reason ?  No Union you see . We are privileged to have the benefit of who have become before us in the struggle between workers and bosses . And Garry is part of that process as is the NUW . Thanks to them for their support . 

I haven't forgotten Nigel Livingstone either , a really good bloke who I hope to welcome back soon . The delegates are vitally important , the time they put in is their own .  

With help from Manildra also , they facilitate the Union process . So the system works , well done to all .

So bring on the 11th .

Four Is The Magic Number

Management know we want 4 % . The magic number so to speak .

As is their right they are trying to get out of it for less . The difference between four and 3.5 will be a significant cost over two years for the Mill . Also they would be negligent in their responsibilities if they just rolled over . Something they would be loath to be seen to be doing . 

They do know however that we have compelling reasons for our stance and they have tried to get close enough to the four per cent . They don't want drama either so there is a real effort in their negotiations . Fair go to them , 3.5 % is a decent offer , cumulative and everything . 

No doubt they also hope that enough of the workforce will be tempted to put the whole issue to bed and vote for the three point five .  There will be people who are keen for the back payment and would be motivated to get the whole thing finished .

I suspect that the majority will not think like that . Judging from what I am hearing , close is not close enough . Many say it is not about the money anymore , it is the principle . 

The Mill however would save heaps  if it was 3.5 . So are we in a mood to compromise ? 

Let's see , I'll go first . 

I say we persevere for four . We've come this far . My bet is that the majority is in agreeance . Bet you a carton !

So bearing that in mind , if I was the Mill I would come up with a massive gesture to sway opinions and seize the day . That's what I would do . A goodwill gesture to sweep away all resentments and objections capturing hearts and minds in the process . No prizes for guessing !

Swiss Cheese 2

Buhler Danny said:

All I'm saying is ........Fox get the box , No... not that " box " . The Buhler box ! 

Greetings from another Mill in another Country on another  Continent.

David Baker

 

This Guy Is Way Too Happy

What a transformation , suddenly Chris Gue is the most relaxed and content chap working at Manildra .

He used to be a moody stressed out lead Miller but is now a cool calm and collected , laugh a minute, baker . Who would have thought making bread could be so therapeutic ?

Of course getting out of the Mill helps and getting off shiftwork is perhaps the clincher . Whatever the reasons . I am totally jealous and I hate him !

What I think is relevant here is what a good choice he was in the first place . He does a marvellous job because he wanted it . Remember the Mill were advertising in Sydney for this vacancy before they saw the light .

Another example ! Who is the best new worker in the lab in recent times ? Matt Dumbrell I reckon .

From the packers .....!

You can see what I am getting at . We consistently overlook the personnel we have here right under our nose , whenever new opportunities arise . It's familiarity breeding contempt ! 

Look at the General Manager position .......what's wrong with Me ....or Addo .....or Mick Reynolds . No instead we have to headhunt Brunner from somewhere else . It sucks I tell you .

Green Shoots Of Spring ....... Climatic And Economic

As our countryside turns all shades of bright colours , it is with a renewed sense of optimism that we engage Management in EBA stuff . It's that time of year after all . The winter of discontent is over and let's get on with business . We've nearly got all the peripheral issues out of the way and we are close to getting to the point of the whole thing . 

A few observations , things are proceeding swiftly even though it doesn't seem that way to everyone . Management are not dragging their feet , they want a resolution as well . Last meeting nearly everyone present had a full copy of the draft under discussion . A nice touch . 

It is worth noting that coffee and tea and milk have already been provided . This is a good gesture and I have been assured that the tins provided will be replaced by a state of the art coffee machine as soon as the EBA is completed . 

The thing is though is that no amount of goodwill now will substitute any scrimping on the pay rate . Otherwise these previously mentioned gestures will be viewed as cheap arsed posturing . Free snags and a can of lemonade do not four per cent make .

Don't get me wrong it's a good communication tool and I like snags . Especially the way Brendan cooks them . 

We are however getting close to the nitty gritty and it is incumbent on our Management to read the writing on the wall . 

I was very disappointed to hear that John Brunner has been saying that he thinks four per cent is too much in the current climate . What climate is that ?  Black cloud or blue sky ?

It is Spring in more ways than one !

The average pay rises this year are 3.9% as mentioned by all the media last week . The economy is growing against all expectations and Manildra in particular is killing it . 

Why are we not worth as much as Nowra people ? They get 4.3 % . They get full holiday pay . 

Next Friday we are going to discuss pay rates for this EBA .  Let's have no more mean and tricky negotiation from up top . Everyone is doing their best as evidenced by record production figures and less reject , not to mention less staffing costs translating to increased profit . 

Tell me I'm wrong !

Guess Who ?

It's Nasty of course . Here he is giving us the magic number . I thought it was four but Nigel reckons it is five . 

He's not really nasty , it's like when redheads were known as bluey !  Nigel is actually nice .

Ok Ok maybe that's pushing it ......but I'm sure his kids love him . 

When I first started working at Manildra , Nigel Troth was an evil supervisor who wouldn't let me put bags on , he would leave me on the train , or worse , make me tip reject . 

Consider this payback Nasty .

In fact I have had many hits on the blog from people in the UK googling Nigel Troth . It appears he has the same name as a British jockey . 

They both like using the whip !

Life In The Country By Ben Allcorn..........

Photo By Shanno . More In His Gallery

Bruisers Gift To The World

Shot By Da Soulman

We're Valuable Man !

New Spirit Of Communication

We all know that Managers are descended from the Devil but recently our bunch are behaving quite strangely . Stopping and chatting and all this sort of thing . Keeping the lines of communication open they say . Talk to me anytime they say . 

It's good , I like it . I can't wait for a communication in the near future relating to a number four . Magic number I call it . 

Anyway I recently got shown a letter by a bloke here at work that he had written and given to our new Manager some weeks ago . This bloke took the communication thing to heart and wrote an excellent text . I suspect he had some help from his wife , a terrific effort anyway .

One good feature of the letter was a couple of good positive suggestions . Instead of being too negative , this bloke had come up with some worthwhile initiatives .

His best idea was a social committee that would organise social events to engender some " esprit de corps " or team spirit . Like the Xmas party for example !

Also he suggested closer links between the sites that constitute the Group like Nowra Gunnedah Neranderra etc . Bus trips etc , with opportunity to relocate within the Group .

I also liked his suggestion that good work should be acknowledged as well as fuck ups . Fair point , we only usually hear about problems rather than good results . A bonus scheme was one of his other good points , you know reward for production or packing . A lottery was another idea .

 All worth discussing .

On another subject , Chillers has made it clear that he thinks Management are copping too much flak about the long winded EBA and he reminded us that it had been the staff who had set aside the EBA because of the redundancies . He has a point but it was futile thinking about the EBA when all that other stuff was going on .

It has been an action packed year and let's not worry about who is to blame . 

He also stressed that the proposed D & A testing was for "fit for work"  purposes , not trying to interfere with peoples lives . I think he also agreed to pursue it independently of the EBA . 

He went onto say that the Nowra EBA has many privileges that stem from the eighties . The implication being something would be done about it . Maybe next time because the Nowra EBA makes good reading this time around !  Perhaps it's the input of three Unions  ?

 

The Wattle Is Out

The days are getting longer .  Spring is in the air , although it is still freezing at night . The days however roll on , seasons merging into one another . The EBA still hasn't been done !  

Many workers here at Manildra are understandably offended at the discrepancy between the way they are percieved in contrast to the folks at Bomaderry  . Stands to reason with what has happened that we should have a look at exactly what they get . Their most recent EBA is not on the net but we got it anyway .

It's an explosive document , the most striking feature being the 4.25 per cent per annum for three years including allowances . That's not all , there are substantial differences in how holidays loadings are worked out , leave allowances , overtime and other issues . 

It's quite detailed but easy to read and most things are in black and white . Three different Unions are involved in the agreement as well as Chillers plus the General Manager down there . 

After a quick read I'm not sure how well served we are with our casual handshake agreement regarding the finer details of the EBA . Seeing as proceedings are going to drag out maybe we should discuss some deeper reforms . Just suggesting is all . 

My initial impression is that they do a fair bit better than us . Copies of this agreement are currently being read by various members of the workers brains trust , so soon we will have other opinions . 

Perhaps we should hammer out a whole new agreement using the Nowra one as a template . We've waited this long , we may as well tough it out for another few months and get a proper deal , not the same as Nowra but better . 

It's all about timing . For example I remember a classic piece of cricket commentary on ABC radio from an Ashes series a few years ago . Steve Waugh had 96 at the SGC in his farewell test at that ground . One ball left before close of play . The crowd was going wild . The English commentator remarked how Steve could just block the next ball and come back the next day to complete his century .

THe Aussie commentator was Kerry O Keefe . His response was --- No chance of that , Waugh will try and hit a boundary for sure , just watch him ! 

Sure enough Waugh went for it and got it . 

My point here is Steve seized the moment as did Kerry . It was all about timing including the exquisite timing that propelled the ball to the rope . 

Posted By Mr Nobody

Come on people this is about being recognized for the sacrifices WE have made for the group. WE have been through 2 redundancies & given up pay increases while the rest of the group seems to move on imperviously. WE have been told repeatedly that Ethanol is not as profitable as we believe it to be, while Nowra keep getting increases of 3 to 4 percent while using a product that WE are sending them. Export has picked up a little & domestic is roughly the same, WE are not as stupid as management seem to think we are. WE have never taken this long to complete an agreement before & WE have never stuck together like we are now, this is a new time for Manildra we have a new GM who seems keen to make some long over due changes so don't let the words from one EX employee cloud what WE are achieving.

Posted By Paul

Well ex employee, how is Parkes? I have worked in a number of mills {8} to be exact and in regards to your comment about being underskilled and over paid is so far from the truth. The staff at MFM are its biggest asset and a company should look after an asset. After working my way around the mills of Australia and now the biggest I would say that on the whole the skill level is very high. Maybe they don't have fancy pieces of paper, but commitment, experience and ability count a lot. The pay, including penalty rates, we recieve just reflects the crap hours we work. Any shift worker, including yourself, will admit that it is far from fun or healthy. We are just after a decent pay rise and I am sure your working relative will put their hand up and take it.

Applying Logic

I have gone through the arguments many times . Everyone knows them . I think they are compelling and so does 96 per cent of the workforce . 

Now we have some responses to these issues . John Brunner put in a gutsy performance on Tuesday morning and fronted the Membership . He was asked to appear and he responded . 

Quite an intimidating audition in front of more than a hundred of us .

So here is the thrust of what he said .....Firstly he mentioned looking to the future several times but as was pointed out to him by our brightest bloke , the past informs the future . So much so that the Nowra situation has informed our previous EBAs because of their situation down there . I recall previous redundancies occurring here at Manildra purely due to Ethanol issues .

Nowra was struggling before the the BP contracts and we had to carry them for a while while the whole Ethanol situation was brought on line . Now it is gangbusters and they need plenty of our production instead of it being packed for other markets that might mean the retention of the Packers 24/7 . We have been reconfigured because of Nowra . We have been tied to them with an umbilical cord ..... Not connected ???

It has meant we have lost lots of jobs here and many reduced wages because of these decisions .

For this we have to recieve poor offer after poor offer from MFM in our EBA while our Management tells us we are a different business . 

Apparently we have different competitors and that is supposed to negate everything else that has become before .

Another argument is that the financial crisis came after the Nowra EBA . I think the financial crisis is old news  !  The economy is coming back on line big time and this argument is redundant . We are negotiating now in a recovery period . With our eye on the future .

Furthermore we started trying to negotiate in November . It is now August . There has been a lot going on but none of it is our fault . The financial crisis didn't seem to effect the Group too much . We were the only site having redundancies . Again because of Nowra .

Another point brought up by John at the meeting was that recent increases in production were due to technological advances not from individuals working harder .

OK fair enough but we the workers are not using that issue for a reason for a decent EBA . We are pointing out the health of the business .  

Yeah we have blokes on back to work issues . I don't recall the Mill being that concerned about that sort of thing back when we lumped . I personally recall many injuries to my mates and myself ( I have a screw in my left ankle ) when the lumping roster changed to 12 hours . No worries just pump out the containers .

 

I am just as passionate about this Mill as anyone . The difference is I pick up the mess and get my hands dirty . I am still a human being and my voice deserves to be heard . I might be a humble worker but I can understand logic and so can my co-workers .

THE LAST POST ?

This could be a long post so strap yourselves in .

Firstly last Thursday day shift was an extremely eventful day at work . Bob and myself were called To John's office and he and Chillers gave their latest EBA offer to us . It seemed really generous and I was pretty excited when I spread the word after the meeting . 

I knew it was too good to be true and sure enough the more savvy amongst us quickly worked out the true picture and I felt like a prize fool for being so enthusiastic . 

Once I got over it , I also realized that it was a genuine attempt to sort things out by Management and it was good to see that happen . If it falls short , so be it , we'll see on Tuesday morning . 

Furthermore that morning we need to hear from people who want to settle this now . The normal guys will speak but we need the other side of the story . There are plenty of people in this category .

Changing the subject , also on Thursday I had an animated discussion with a member of Management where we agreed to differ on most things about the blog . But he made some excellent points about the possible negatives for the Company by having such a popular blog in the public domain .

Naturally I highlighted the positives of The Chaff but it does appear that I am no longer under the radar and any adoption hopes I had have been dashed ( That is a long running joke for the benefit of long time readers ) . 

I am pretty careful about what I write but the Blog has also to be relevant otherwise it is pointless .

I know most of the workers really like it . It gives them a voice . In fact at the moment anybody who writes a comment will be probably be read by people at the highest level of this company . That's not bad if you think about it . It's a powerful tool and right from the beginning I have striven to show respect for that .

Of course this makes Managers nervous . They don't like workers to have that much power but I fucking love it !!!  Just kidding guys . Have a laugh , it's good for your health . 

Look if the Honan family want me to remove the Blog . I'll do it straight away . If they call me , I'll comply no questions asked . 

I really like my job and there is a great bunch at Manildra which is why I started the blog in the first place . It's like an extended family to me now after nine years . I have no desire to work elsewhere unless it was at Young  . Joking , Joking , Joking !!

I can't help myself when it comes to humour and I have tried to make it a feature of the blog . In fact if I write a funny piece I generally put it in the appropriate category and I do that with most of the stuff , industrial relations , whingeblog etc . 

I mention this because I have discovered that some readers  use the archives where they are seeing posts in isolation rather than in the categories . This can be misleading . 

Finally just in case John Honan does call , it is worth noting there have been 60,000 hits on the Chaff averaging 80 a day  and over 400 comments . Thanks to all .

Extra Extra Read All About It

We have some breaking news ...............Our wage rise is being transported to Nowra by rail and road . Every tonne of the product we produce has a monetary component that will come out of our pocket and end up in the pay packet of the workers at Nowra . 

They have managed to negotiate themselves a four point three percent payrise . Well done to them .

We on the other hand are obviously not as valuable to the Company as we have only been offered two point six seven per cent .

Our fearless leaders have thumbed their noses at us . And I mean fearless , they are not afraid of us one bit . They look at us and see we have only water pistols and feather dusters . 

If only we had some unity we could flex our muscle a bit . 

We had our latest EBA meeting today which I will elaborate on elsewhere in the blog . The distinctive feature though was the number of swear words us Union delegates managed to produce . The two Johns were unfailingly polite and calm while we effed and blinded till the cows came home . 

This gives you some indication of the frustration from our side of the table . Two pairs was the best we could come up with . The poker faced assassins across from us produced a full house . The Bank is on their side . We are the flop !

How can we change this situation ? 

John Brunner

Welcome John Brunner . Our new General Manager has been appointed and at first glance it seems the Executive has made a good choice and landed a prime candidate . You know why ? 

Well he is a Man in White through and through . This is just fantastic news . It appears that our new fearless leader started out as a humble junior Miller in the beginning and has worked his way up the milling tree to where he is now . Head of the biggest and best Flour Mill in this land . 

I've been lucky enough to meet him and he seems a very approachable and friendly bloke . Very open and relaxed .... Of course we can soon fix that !

You don't get to where he has by being gentle though , so I suspect he speaks softly and carries a big stick .

We'll find out soon enough . His in-tray is overflowing and will be a test of his temperament . 

We have wasted no time putting the pressure on and he has been thrust straight into a red hot EBA negotiation . Welcome to Manildra John Brunner !  This is just the beginning of course and we will follow up with a concerted effort to resurrect the Xmas party . Watch this space !

Typically we have another John , it helps to be named John when going for one of the top jobs at Manildra . 

I can just picture the job ad -- only Johns need apply . Must be made of teflon and able to combust at appropriate times . Must be qualified in the area of small town culture and must have a gun license . This is the country mate and we do things differently out here .

In all seriousness though , we may be entering a new golden era at Manildra . A workplace takes it's character from the top down . Look at the Sharks football club !

The Boss sets the tone and the rest of the orchestra try and play in tune .

We have missed having a leader . That much has been evident in the past couple of months . Now though we have a skipper at the helm of the good ship Manildra , not before time and he's White at heart .

It's a good sign !

The Other Side Of The Coin

Our Management are copping an absolute flogging at the moment , every conversation around the joint has revolved around the perception that the redundancy saga has been an absolute debacle . Way worse than last time and the previous benchmark is not that high either .

It's true though that this must be the hardest job in the world . Decide who should be accepted , who should be pushed , all in a workplace virtually unique in it's dynamics .

We have whole families that work at Manildra , we have spouses , brothers , sisters , cousins and cousins twice removed , be careful who you criticise .

So you get the picture . Imagine creating redundancies forced or otherwise in this sort of enviroment  ?  Really quite difficult without offending someone or other .

So fair go to Chillers it is a thankless and complex undertaking and let's not forget all the Managers around the plant would have had input into the decisions made .

Nevertheless people are entitled to question decisions made when they seem inconsistent . Or unfair or political . Even personal in some cases .

For example it could be argued that it is pointless giving redundancy to someone who is going to leave soon anyway . Well fair enough except a couple of people who were accepted are indeed in that category . Also why knock back a cleaner and force another to leave  ?  

Why allow Millers to leave if one of their replacements is not even in the country ? There are a couple of Packers who are interested . Why not try them  ? Give them three months , if it doesn't work out they can go back to the Packers . It's only right that people feel they have a chance to progress .   

So this week begins the new shifts , everyone who gets to go has gone . Some people with nine lives have survived even though their card was marked . One life less !

The new shifts herald a familiar scenario for us Millers , weekends without anyone here except us . I hate it . I like everyone on board twenty four seven  with us creaming all markets .

This leads me to into our next big issue which is of course our beaut EBA the one where we get 4% per annum for the next three . I'm not joking either , no ambit claim . I reckon we go hard .

Here's why .

Ethanol must be unbelievably profitable . It takes precedence over everything.

We are producing the same amount of product with less workers .

Packers are copping less money , the rate will be important for them  .

The economy is coming back on line , we don't want to short change ourselves for the future .

This time people might be prepared to show some gumption in the negotiations .

By that I mean unity  . Some of us will feel we are lucky to have what we do but others may point out that the Company as a whole is going gangbusters so why lay down and die . The redundancies did not happen because Manildra is going broke . It was a more a strategic move to reflect the different situation the Company finds itself .

So this message needs to be relayed to everyone so that a sensible approach is made in the upcoming negotiations . All the Union members will have a say and it will be good if we have a bit of backbone about ourselves . Also the Company has a chance to remedy some of the bad vibes permeating the joint by coming to the party .

A very good suggestion was made to me by one of our finest . He said we should only have one Union meeting . Everyone gets their arse there and we sort it out . Two meetings is too fractured and now that the shifts are all over the place , this suggestion makes even more sense .

I don't mean for us to be confrontational with this process . Far from it  .

Just to be smart , well informed and more or less united as a workplace . Buckleys I hear you say ? Well let's see!

We Need A Navigator

It is very unfortunate that there is nobody on hand to steer the good ship Manildra . We are rudderless !

Very important decisions have been made that affect peoples'  lives but nobody is around to explain or justify what is going on . We have a situation where the casuals don't know whether they are coming or going . They have been told they are gone , they have also been told to stay put .

There is lots of head scratching going on , why some people were accepted , why others were not ?

We have a forced redundancy . As far as I knew there were to be no forced redundancies at this stage . The person involved must have massive personal shit going on , does not want to leave and did not apply for the package . 

There are many questions but no answers . 

Our Boss has left at a very inconvenient time , no question about that . Suddenly our interim management is saddled with all the tough calls , but where does the buck stop now ?

One of our bravest men phoned Dick Honan to try and find a reason for his exclusion from the package . To his credit Dick phoned back personally. I don't know the details of the conversation but I have heard that Dick insisted the decision was not his .

So the buck stops with Chillers then !  Everybody line up at his office . Wear warm clothes and watch the quicksand .

As I see it , the major problem with not having a Boss is there is no filter for the more radical ideas of various Managers around the Mill . It's a hard job . We need a new one .

I personally would like to see a General Manager who is not connected to all the existing subcurrents at Manildra . Someone who is able to deal with all the various personalities and famiglia dynamics from a neutral position . 

 As a final point ,  it shouldn't be the Unions job to dispense all the information and deal with all the flak . Especially when the details are incomplete or vague or in some cases incomprehensible .

Comment By Mr Nobody Posted 26.5.09

Not surprising that people have a lot to say about this at work but not where management might hear or read it.
Why was this shambles left up to the union to inform everyone & then have middle management turn around & say it was incorrect?
When is this going to take place & who is going to tell the casuals whether they still have a job or not surely that is not up to the union.
This whole thing has turned out worse then the last one at least John told us himself what was going on, those in charge now seem to be either away or to scared to come out & officially inform everyone on the new structure.
Lets hope the new GM has the guts to actually make changes & confront the workers instead of hiding or trying to please their mates.
What a joke  

D Day

As I"m so fond of saying " It's all happening down at the Mill " .

Nobody can say life is boring at Manildra Flour Mill  .  Not these days anyway . If it's not one thing it's another .

So we have some news on the redundancy issue and I would like to mention a few things about it .

Firstly the mill , Packo and Tracy have both obtained redundancy packages and I don't know how we're going to cope without them . I'll say more about that in the Men In White category .

All the Packers who applied got the chocolates .  I will miss Scotty Wright and Johnny Galea  . Best of luck to them  .  Ganni l-liba  !  He'll know what I mean . 

It's goodbye to all the casuals and I hope they all land on their feet .

Also the Fuzz , Sue Reynolds , Luke Woods . Pete Lewis who I lumped with in the old days . Adam Peebles and Steve Johnson who are on my rotation and who I have bludged the odd lift with .

There were people who missed out and I feel for Bob Kizana and Ron Crago . They really deserved it and they really wanted it . Faithful servants who have been denied . They are gutted and with good reason .

We have three packing crews now on a five and a half day week 12 hour shifts  . Tightening of lots of belts . Also some instances of employees moving to other sections which I will not elaborate on because there may be some changes to what happens .  

More information will be forthcoming in Union meetings to be held in the next few days which seems a bit bizarre really . it's not like it's a Union initiative or anything . As far as I am aware this process was brought about by the Management not the Union but Bob has to front up to everyone to explain what's going on . Make of that what you will  !

There has been one forced redundancy and without getting into it can I say I like the bloke and wish him all the best .

These are interesting times and next time you are watching Days of our Lives reflect on our own action packed drama at Manildra which could almost be a script for a real life screenplay .

What To Do ?

 

This is a painting by the great Australian artist Jeffery Smart .

Those reflected arrows are indicative to me of the problems involved when making hard decisions . Like Management trying to find the best way to downsize and taking into account all the variables and all the stakeholders in the final decision .

Or the workers trying to work out the best way for them  ! Do they stay or do they go ?

Sometimes an artistic piece can capture these elements . Whether it's a photo , painting or piece of poetry . So enjoy this image courtesy of the internet because there is no monetary reward for Jeffery Smart except our appreciation of his skill . I hope he doesn't mind .

Movement At The Station

OK ..... so we are rolling , get your applications in , a really decent redundancy package has been put forward and Management are about to get swamped with requests . Everyone is climbing over each other desperate to get in first . If they don't watch it there will be nobody left to make starch .....

Maybe not , perhaps sanity will prevail and people will realize the money is short term and won't last long if another job is not forthcoming . Those who have something to go for , no doubt will take advantage of the package . It is way better than last time and shows the Mill is serious about creating redundancies and prepared to pay a fair price .

Except of course for the long term employees , there is no encouragement for them , The package is skewed against them . Shame really there would be nothing better than for these guys to go out with a bang after a lifetime toiling for the Mill . Their experience is too valuable and too expensive , double edged sword for them .

The main thing though is that something is happening . The blokes walking around complaining they have nothing to do and they are bored , may now appreciate how good that scenario actually was . Paid for doing nothing  ?  Excellent I say . But no , these people seemed to want to bring the whole thing on . I hope they are happy now .

Thing is , the Mill has not rushed into this , we have had every chance to get used to the idea . Now they have been half decent with the redundancy offer . So far so good . They have learnt the lessons from last time . You can't ask for more than that .

The rest of their strategy will be shaped by what happens in this voluntary redundancy stage of proceedings . Anybody bored ?

Anson Str School 2

Allow me to draw a line under the subject of The Ride ..... I really mean it this time ! It's just everyone keeps going on about it . It's not my fault really ! I'm trying to move on but ..........

..........I'd like to mention a small presentation that occurred at the school Friday morning . Manildra wished to present Joseph and Cameron with a framed photo of them on the ride . I was lucky enough to be there , lucky because I love this stuff . This component of the ride meant a lot to me because I have a 17 year old daughter who attends a similar school up in Ballina .

So watching the boys ride with everyone was bloody excellent I think . Cameron and Joseph thought so too , they were very confident and relaxed through the presentation .

I had intended to ride a small way with them but I got caught up with trying to keep up with John Campbell . Tracy Middleton though assured me she would make up for me . She certainly did and more . She was there at the school as was Dave the boys carer who interchanged with Tracy during the stages . Dave is the type of bloke I would want looking after my child . A tremendous example of the committed people who populate this industry .

Gary the Principal of the school beamed as he articulated the benefits he had seen in his lads from this experience . " A teachers moment " for him came when he witnessed the speeches of thanks given by the boys on the last day of the ride when the School came to meet us en route . 

Joseph's Grandmother was there and looking very proud of her Grandson . The carers at home are the true heroes of course and I pay my respect to the mother of my daughter Alex and to anyone else in this situation .  

Jim Flucker the mighty Scotsman attended . He was the braveheart in that group , a true ironman . Christine you are a wonderful woman . Especially when you made sure that Win cameraman got a good sweeping shot of our particular peloton .

Special mention to Patrick Gibson who really was an example of how Cameron and Joseph bonded with other riders . He had a great rapport with them .  It's not often Muldoon is upstaged , his younger brother managed it effortlessly . Patrick was once voted Rugby Leagues dumbest player because of a couple of humorous incidents .

Well if that's the case then more NRL players should be like Paddy because he is a great bloke , just ask the Anson Str boys . I can think of a thousand dumber players than this bloke . It just goes to show those polls in Rugby league Week are a crock of shit .

Lastly take a look at the Kerry Challis photos  , Larry took some too , they are exceptional and there is a category for their shots . Well done . This is the couple who fought fires in Victoria where they live and only came on the ride once the wind changed . Salt of the earth .

Some categories get full up like the Challis one because there are many photos ,but there is a small tiny arrow at the end of the page to indicate more content . It's easy to miss but try not to because there are some more great photos . Same applies to Shannon Madden's category . It is also full but find that arrow and all will be revealed .

A Once Only Offer Never To Be Repeated

Roll Up Roll Up ..........

Take this chance to dress like your heroes . A limited number of sought after items are available from The Mill2Mill charity ride .

Firstly the Polo Tops worn by the support crew and also worn by the riders in the evening during carb loading sessions . These T-shirts are only 25 dollars plus postage .

Grab a fistful of Mill to Mill drink bottles . Be cool at school . My kids have snaffled mine . Ten Bucks ! That's right you heard correctly only a tenner . Interest free for 12 months  !

Now for the piece de resistance . Mill2Mill cycle jerseys . Made in Italy , excellent quality . Brendan Lea went to enormous trouble getting these right . He is very particular about the standard of his cycling gear and this is reflected in these terrific jerseys .

So you too can look like Dan Simmons ..... If the Ghostrider doesn't have one yet , now is the time .

Only $100 plus postage .

For those who already have a couple of these magnificent shirts , you might consider purchasing some for the rest of your family and friends . This will solve the problem of them trying to " borrow " yours  all the time .

Of course the cycle shirts have a cast iron guarantee ........ On the bike you will be honked at ....... in Woolies you will be badgered for your autograph . You can't get better value than that .

The reason there are spare jerseys is because the organisers wanted to make sure every rider got their correct size . This kind of attention to detail was a signature trait of this event . Any purchase you make goes to support the resources applied by the Mill and the sponsors and also the charity component . Call Brendan now on 02 63 921204 or the Mill on 02 63 645003 to place your order .

The available sizes are as follows 9 large 16 extra large 22 XXL and 4 XXXL .

Last Word

This will be the last thing I say about the bike ride ....really I mean it !  Not one little mention , absolutely the very last time you'll hear about it . I promise OK !

So as the dust settles , hurrah for the MILL2MILL ..........sixty thousand big ones , for the deserving charities and that's before the proceeds from the auction . Which by the way was brilliant , everyone got into the spirit of it and it was great to see the winners of the ten cases of beer throw them back into the auction . Terrific stuff , I couldn't do that , not beer !

The interesting thing has been the amount of interest in whether the Mill would put a ride on again next year . If they opened applications now , fair dinkum they would be inundated . Really though it is quite an undertaking and I would imagine that there would have to be strong support from sponsors for it to happen again .

It's not out of the question because the publicity and goodwill generated has been quite extraordinary  and very beneficial for Manildra and it's sponsors .

The other speculation especially from riders who took part is where would the route be next year if it were to occur . Nowra , Nerrandera ?

My opinion would be to leave it exactly the same , follow the same formula . That would make it easier to put on because all the work has been done . The goodwill generated can be built on and even more money can be raised because if I had one criticism of the ride was we left the selling of the books too late and we could have raised even more dosh . We can remedy this next time by following the same formula .

Well done Shanno Da Soulman excellent photos at the end of the ride there .

All good things must come to an end and real life has to intrude sometime and we are back into it . Of course there are some serious issues coming up and we will hear more of that soon but in the meantime I have kicked off with a post in whingeblog . Please read if it interests you otherwise if you are still obsessed with the bike ride , get your head seen too . You've obviously been having too much of a good time .

Mill To Mill Charity Bicycle Ride

 

650 kilometres later . Here we are . We've just lived the dream !

Mind Blowing Mill2Mill

It could have gone so wrong ! We could have had torrential rain and hail for five days .

A mad car or truck driver could have cleaned up a group of riders . The organisation could have been a shambles , the rooms appalling , the food unedible . The riders not getting on with each other .

Instead the Mill2Mill has been blessed ! Shot up the arse with a rainbow .

I count this as one of the great experiences of my life . Amongst the highs and lows of my everyday existence , the Mill2Mill has soared to the heavens .

I rode with a train driver , I rode with a doctor , I slipstreamed an accountant and I got overtaken by a nurse . An ex SAS vietman vet made me get on the wheel . A snow skier taught me how to get back onto a disappearing pack .

Currently my head is buzzing with all the little vignettes and stories that have made up this fantastic five days . There will be photos of the race in the Mill2Mill category and I will write more commentary in the MMRT section . No doubt I'll put a couple of anecdotes in the Have a Laugh spot . Also Shannon Madden has taken some great shots of riders in the home stretch . They are in his gallery .

For those poor sods who are sick of hearing about the bike ride , I'm afraid it's about to get worse .

Mill2Mill

After some delays and problems , we have some photos from the ride . There is a brand new category called MIll2Mill . Check it out .

Stimulating Debate

Let's say you were faced with the chopping block . The only way you can be saved , is if the rest of the site take a paycut . How do you reckon you would go ?

Or , the other side of this hypothetical ! The 200 or so staff on the payroll . Would  we agree to a pay cut to save jobs ?  Not much hope eh ?  Well let's see .......

For arguments sake , let's say a sacrifice of a dollar an hour from everyone at the Mill , for a fixed period of say twelve months .

Sure there would still be restructuring but no redundancies . Fifteen or twenty families could be saved the indignity of retrenchment .

We could have an agreed period where after twelve months , the dollar is reinstated and a 5% EBA kicks in . Regardless of circumstances at that time.

This is all hypothetical and roughly calculated .

We could have this conversation , this discussion . If it comes to nothing , so be it , but let's talk about it .

Now many people , who have less chance of being made redundant may not be happy getting less money to save someone they probably don't even know . Fair point , but there may be others who would be happy to help someone less fortunate . Which camp are you in ? 

It's quite a dilemma but an interesting exercise to go through . At this stage I myself have a foot in both camps so I know how you the reader feels as you go through the process .

Imagine a miracle occurred and some sort of deal reached . I would say there would be amazing benefits for the workforce here because firstly everyone would feel good about themselves , and anybody who felt previously threatened with job loss , would look very differently at their colleagues .

There is another benefit too !  We would be secure in our jobs for the future because we were prepared to set an example . That we are not totally selfish or materialistic . That other things matter besides money . Life is too complex to be reduced to monetary values . This works in our favour because it shows maturity as a workplace . 

Which really should be the case , because by world standards , Manildra Flour Mill at Manildra has a remarkably stable work force .

Now how did I get to this hypothetical ?

Firstly , in my capacity as Union delegate , I have been lucky enough to be involved in discussions about our EBA with management . It became obvious to me that in this coming year the Group will be under financial pressure .

We have too much demand for our products . How ironic !

Funding for the new flour mill in Nowra is frozen because of the icing over of the World credit markets . The demand for Ethanol is increasing . So export draws the short straw .

Now , export could be back next year bigger and better . Why sack permanent staff ?

Well I've worked here for eight years and seen how this company goes about things and I reckon they are kind employers . If we do the right thing by them , they will do the right thing by us .

If fifteen or twenty people are made redundant and the packing roster is restructured , there is a saving of roughly one and a half million bucks for the company over a year . The rumour mill tells me that is what we need to save .

This could be achieved by what I have mentioned before. So now I have ignited the debate . Let me have it ! 

Spare A Thought For Management

Let's not forget that our Management team are also employees of Manildra Group . The current situation is not of their making . They have to wear the consequences of decisions made further up the chain just as we have to .

The Honan Family probably look at the Group as a whole . So if one part of the operation requires massive injections of product that can be provided by another part . Then guess what , that's what will happen . We are all witnessing that very scenario right now .

Our bosses are now between a large rock and a very hard place . Especially John Campbell .

Now I'm guessing here , but I reckon John has not addressed us yet because it's all still up in the air . He is not going to front everyone without all the information .  

Perhaps there may not be redundancies ! That's a radical statement I know , but it's possible . The company might be content with restructuring and retaining experienced personnel for when things improve or another Mill is built .

On the other hand it may be quite ugly with many jobs lost . I don't know and I'm not certain that Management do either .

I do know one thing , they probably wish The Chaff would go away especially at times like this when everyone is on edge . I've often said though that the blog is for everyone including bosses so it's only fair to balance things out . So spare a thought for Management , they need hugs as well .

Regarding recent posts , there have been some very interesting points raised . This creates debate . Yo Mo mentioned CPI . I think the figure of the last three years is about ten or eleven . I tried to access the Bureau of Statistics but couldn't quite get the right info . Our pay increases were in the order of twelve per cent for the same period .

I think the previous EBA was when we perhaps fell back a bit . At the end of the day it's all relative and except for the mines , our pay rates compare favourably with most work places in this area .

Still that's no reason to short change ourselves in the forthcoming EBA .

We all agree though that right now there are bigger fish to fry .

Storm Is A Coming

 

Storm clouds are not just on the horizon , they are zooming in pretty quick .

Where is the weather person who can tell us where it is going to rain ?  Any lightning activity ?  Will there be flooding ?  Will Mandagery Creek overflow into the Speciality plant ?

We need to know so that we can take steps to protect ourselves from the inclement weather coming our way .

A weather report would be pretty handy right now .

Posted by Yo Mo on the 1st of March

The Company will do as it pleases, no matter what we do to try and make it better for those who may lose their jobs.
As for our EBA demands, let's get realistic. At 8% or 7% or 6% you are voting for a wage decrease, not increase. The last EBA got 9%? yet CPI for the 3 years to 31/12/08 was 15.4%. We are already down 6.4% on the cost of living over the last 3 years. If the Company wants to catch up and then offer 6% it may be acceptable. ( I have heard that Millers and Workshop people don't back Industrial Action because they already get paid heaps more than the rest of us, but their standard of living falls by the same percentage as us, so they should re-think their position). I'm sure the Company covered their CPI costs by raising their prices by 30%? last year (this may not be exactly correct but I'm fairly sure that was the amount on domestic production) so how about looking after the workers.

On the subject of less pay for holidays, most Awards allow an extra weeks holiday if you work 20 or more Sundays and/or Public Holidays, so the Company hasn't done us any special favours. We work the time as part of our normal roster and should be paid our normal rate of pay when on holidays.

As for the Union meetings, I agree with Casho. Have a meeting, get a copy of the minutes to all members (including exact details of any offers from the company), then come back and vote when everyone has had a chance to discuss and digest the information. It only needs to be a couple of days and gives everyone an opportunity to make the time to come and vote as they will know exactly what is going on.

I believe it highly unlikely there is any proposal that will save jobs.
Why, therefore, should we accept less than we should be entitled to???????

Bloodletting

Before the games begin , let us reflect on the ones who are about to be thrown to the lions .

The families who will suffer and the children who will go without ,

Allow me one more time to express my contempt at the greedy financiers and the myopic bankers that have contributed to the dodgy bullshit that has occured at the very heart of capitalism . The belief in free markets and mininum regulation , that has showcased the less savoury aspects of the human character .

All the workers being sacked around Australia at the moment have no fault in what is occurring . But it is they who are going to cope with the fall out .

If a company is going broke , well of course the workers are going to suffer .

What about though when a company is still making money like  Brambles for example . They have just declared their profit for the year . Over 300 million dollars , but hang on that's not enough profit so 700 hundred jobs are to be lost .

For God's sake , are we going crazy ?

These lost jobs will further weaken the economy and continue the spiral downward  . Big iconic companies should be retaining their personnel . They've made enough money over the last few years to help prop up the economy instead of the slavish bowing at the altar of shareholders and dividends . Now is not the time for that .

Instead the captains of industry should be protecting their workers . The same workers who propelled them to wealth in the first place .

Which brings me to our current predicament . Here at Manildra .

We wait for the restructuring  !  Nobody knows what is going to happen so the atmosphere is toxic . Rumours are so prevalent that they seem to have a life of their own as they circulate the workplace .

Frustation is all about . I have recieved comments that I have not been able to post . Just A Number posted a comment so true , I couldn't run it because it would have offended so many people .

And yes I happen to be the moderator and I value my own skin , so no cigar Just A Number !

Although I really like the " We are mushrooms , kept in the dark and fed shit " turn of phrase .

One unfortunate consequence of the latest tension is the resentment felt about certain things that have happened at the Mill recently . 

The Aboriginal cadets have been a popular subject to unload on . I have my opinion but it is most certainly in the minority .

Scotty Wright has been punished and been investigated by a private investigator for his moment of madness . Surely that is enough and all those among you without sin , please stop throwing stones !

Due process has been followed , the complainant and the accused are both happy with the outcome . Move on !

Union Meetings Need A Better System

Sometimes these Union meetings just don't go to plan . A person makes a point from the floor , gets some agreement , some blokes start nodding their head . Before you know it a motion has been raised , seconded and then voted on . A motion that does us , as a workforce no favours at all .

Today for example we have ended up sending back our demands unchanged . That is not smart negotiation , it is confrontational and certainly not what we need right now . Does anyone read the newspapers ? It's all there in black and white ! 

Our demands needed to be changed , bloody oath they did . We had items in there that had to be removed . As it is now , Management will think we are all bloody idiots . 

For starters the item on workers comp should be removed because it was explained to us in the EBA meeting . I made a big fuss about the unfairness of it for shiftworkers and Management patiently explained the legislation to us . We have 26 weeks with full payment for 53 hours but without our shift allowance . Afterwards an injured worker has to work a few hours a day to retain this amount . 

We can't now send this demand back . It is ludicrous . Similarly salary sacrifice is too costly for the company because it becomes liable for fringe benefits tax . So again it is ridiculous to send back this demand . 

Regarding holidays for shiftworkers where we lose a small amount of pay , this is compensated by having an extra weeks holiday . There was some confusion during the meeting with management in regards to the number of sick hours available to employees . Is it 60 hours or 76 hours ?

But again Management said they would pay the legislated amount but no more than that . So why throw back the demand ?

Last but not least  we are dumb enough to go back with 7% per year unchanged . I can just picture Dick Honan choking on his morning tea as he finds out about this . It is not only disrespectful to him but also to the workers who are about to lose their jobs .

And let's face the truth which is that when it comes to the crunch we as a workforce do not have the guts or unity to actually really fight for these ultimately unrealistic demands .

At the very least we could have come back with five per cent or an even more realistic four per cent .

In fact if we were fair dinkum about being a united workforce we could pose the question . If we had no pay rise for a year , how many jobs would it save ?  You know suspend our greed for a moment and think of the poor sods who are going to end up on the dole queue . 

It's probably too late for anything like that . Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I admit I'm pretty good at it .

I will say however that I think one person hijacked the meeting this morning and we have ended up with an ill considered response to the current negotiations . Much as I value this person's input to these affairs , he then prematurely brought the meeting to a close once he had obtained his agenda .

These votes are extremely important and should not be rushed because most members don't really know what's going on . It's only later that they realize the implications of what they have voted for .

A few days ago I speculated on the blog ( see Industrial relations ) that the company might be going better than they are making out . I still believe that but I don't know that for a fact . I was just speculating and guessing . You know price of wheat , ethanol etc etc . Which is why I voted to reject the management's offer of eight per cent flat over three years  .

You know what though ? At least they have come back with something . Us bunch of Einsteins however have given them nothing back . At a time when the global financial economy is imploding , people are losing their jobs left right and centre and when our Government is so shit scared they are throwing money at everything , hoping desperately to keep the economy from falling in a heap .

If it does fall in a heap then the only time we will be putting up our hand will not be to vote in a Union meeting , it will be for a cheque from centrelink . 

I know Nigel is going to be angry with me for writing this but I hope he understands this blog is independent in these affairs and not simply to further Union agendas . It's possible this can be construed as a conflict of interest on my behalf and believe me it is difficult sometimes .  

I know Nigel wanted to simplify the response and go back with three key items but that's not how the meeting panned out . The membership should be aware that the Union belongs to the employees and to be wary of certain individuals who carry the momentum at a meeting because then delegates are obliged to fall in with the wishes of the workers when they vote en masse as they did this morning .

Tricky EBA This One

We're coming to the end of the current EBA agreement and normally we would be looking at a reasonable increase in our wages and other fine tuning of conditions . This time though we have a global meltdown to contend with .

This has watered down the enthusiasm to negotiate hardball as we nervously observe the downfall of other industries . What do we do ?

If Manildra is in good shape , it is a credit to our fearless Leaders . While other areas of the economy flounder , it would be against the trend of the current climate if our company is kicking goals . Nevertheless , this can't be discounted as we have a very experienced team at the helm .

If Manildra have borrowed too much and have lost the faith of their bankers then we are all up shit creek . If however common sense and conservatism has prevailed then we are all very lucky .

We don't know of course . Manildra is private and the ball is in their court . No doubt they are about to serve and we will soon find out .

Export looks vulnerable but up to now the ethanol situation has obviously sustained that section .

The dreaded redundancy word has not yet been heard and Kevin Rudd himself has urged restraint on wage demands . So we wait and see !

UnAustralian Of The Year

At the time of writing the announcement of Australian of the year has  happened and Mick Dodson is the recipient . Congratulations to Mick . I think Glenn McGrath must have been close because he has dealt with a tragic situation and his commitment to his wife Jane has become a triumph of goodwill . The SCG bathed in pink was a great spectacle .

 His kids have something to help them deal with their loss . Glenn is showing them the way with characteristic line and length .

There is no award for unAustralian of the year but I am starting one here .......and the winner is Gerry Harvey ! He is the principal of Harvey Norman and really deserves the brickbats coming his way .

For starters , earlier this year he declared that homeless Australians were undeserving of charity because they gave nothing back to society !

Is this because they don't have a home and cannot buy products from his stores ?

More recently he welcomed the financial stimulus provided by the goverment in the form of payments before Xmas , presumably so that would boost sales in his massive chain store . Now he has come out and said that the whole exercise has been a dud . Again presumably because his sales haven't increased .

Let me say to Gerry that I welcomed the payments and they weren't a failure , I paid lots of bills and bought lots of presents for the kids . None of them from Harvey Norman and I will try for the rest of my life never to spend another penny in your shops .  

Holidays - No Rain Please

 

With the start of the new year it's time for me to go on holiday . I'll be hitting the beach and taking a rest from work , from the  blog , from cycling  , from everything .

Please Huey - no rain . Last year my summer holiday up the coast was washed out , flooded out , beaches closed and rivers rising relentlessly where ever I ventured .

All the best everyone . I leave you with this photo from Shane Trevena , it has been touched up by Martina in Slovakia . Cheers .

2009

As we head into the New Year it is timely to reflect briefly on the past year and also wonder what is going to happen in 2009 .

A resolution to the sparky dispute would be good . The downtime is starting to mount up . There is a lot of pressure on Millers to make do with situations where equipment is down because it is after hours . From our point of view we would like our regular sparkies back on shift or on call .

Surely Phil De Brot can't keep fixing stuff over the phone ? He needs to join a Union .......also some Millers don't want to keep changing fuses and such .

In addition for the forthcoming year it would be good to see some transparency in the position vacant area . You know less jobs for the boys and a more concerted effort to find appropriate personnel from within the existing workforce . 

Regarding the bigger picture I hope the economic situation is not damaging for the Mill and it's owners the Honan family . I wish them a happy and prosperous new year with a trickle down effect for the rest of us .

To all the participants in the forthcoming Mill2Mill , safe riding and lot's of it as we approach March . And may the Ghostrider burn in hell .

Brendan Nevard

 

Fair dinkum mate if ever there were a prototype of the person you would want to come to Australia , then this guy would be it .

He came from Switzerland two and a half years ago . A wonderful young man with impeccable manners , a sophisticated European person with an ability to get on with everyone .

We send him back , 20kgs heavier with a severe drinking problem , a pokie addiction and a penchant for foul language .

The thing is it has been a great spectacle for me to observe a fellow European undertake the process of integrating into another country many years after I had done so .

Brendan has tried everything with a vengeance , hunting ,fishing , water skiing , motor bike riding , you name it . Also a bit of smoking drinking fighting and womanising .

Let me tell you Brendo is special . One of those persons who has so many good attributes , it is easier to say this person is of good character . One of the striking features of his stay has been the number of friends he has made .

It hasn't all been plain sailing but Brendo negotiated every obstacle with dignity and humour and I honestly don't think we will ever have an import as good as this guy .

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I'm sure Brendo won't mind me hijacking his farewell spot by highlighting an issue dear to my heart . You see I so enjoyed Brendos farewell bash at the Golfie that I couldn't help but think how I miss our annual shindig .

Luckily Gary Eaglestone was there on the night and he is one of the persons in power who has shown any interest in rebirthing the Xmas party . His excellent suggestion was that if everyone had two dollars subtracted from their wage every week . We would have a substantial kitty to have a great party at Xmas time next year . Two parties .

Apparently this circumvents any insurance problems because it is our money . Our party .

I hope I have got this right .

There is no time to waste to get this rolling except that being our party ---" we have to do it ". There would be a bit of work but it would be fun also . Rewarding too especially once the parties have been put on . 

This is for next year but we need everyone to agree to subtract money ASAP .

So I am to willing to do it as long as a couple of other interested people jump on board to help me .

Brendo would do !

Merry Xmas From The Chaff

 

This years Xmas greeting comes from State Parliament House in Macquarie St where I recently attended a Union delegates meeting . This fountain is the centrepiece of the building and the image is the one chosen to convey my best wishes to everyone at Manildra Flour Mill for the festive season . 

If you are interested , I have written some Union related stuff in the Industrial Relations category .

If you are a bike rider , don't discard your machine over the next few weeks because March is approaching fast . Too fast actually . Well done to the organisers who are doing a sterling job . The MIll2Mill is coming along nicely . 

Thanks to the people who donated to my Movember collection . This year 176 dollars . Thanks everybody .

Farewell Henry

 

The brain drain continues as one of our brightest goes to the mines for more money and better conditions . Henry Zarnow will be sorely missed , excellent at his job with a healthy sense of humour .

The rooster has left the henhouse and the lab just won't be the same without him . Here Henry ponders what might be in this impressive looking present . Everybody is welcome to suggest what they think might be in the package . Try not to be too rude .

See you Henry .

Thanks to da Soulman for his photo .