CFMEU Forestry and Furnishing Products Divisions NSW South Coast and ACT Organiser Dusty Miller said that Hardwood Resources was the last remaining hardwood mill in South Western NSW and that the workers affected were digging in for a long fight.
“No wood will be removed from this site until our member’s entitlements are paid. We have blokes here who have 30 years experience and have just got dudded on their accumulated long service leave, redundancy money and annual leave accruals.
“The company last night agreed to move into a voluntary administration as they were warned by the union, that as a creditor,we would be moving to force the issue if the directors did not appointan administrator.
“What has happened here is outrageous and will not stand.”
Mr Miller said that the workers had also lost several years superannuation that had not been passed on by the company to their relevant fund and that even union dues deducted from the payroll had not been passed on to the union.
“The behaviour by the company is breathtaking.”
“The State Government needs to get involved as the mill has a 20 year wood supply agreement with Forestry NSW – who I understand are also owed money.
“And the Federal Government needs to get its act together and get an industry plan happening to minimise the risk of this happening to other ‘working families.’"
