Union says reached wage deal with Alcoa Australia, will end strike
SYDNEY - Unionised workers at aluminium producer Alcoa's Western Australian operations on Friday agreed to end a strike that lasted more than six weeks after securing better job security provisions in a new wage agreement.
Workers at two alumina refineries and three bauxite mines walked out on August 8 because of concerns about a new workplace agreement.
The strike added to recent supply pressure on bauxite and alumina, key raw materials for aluminium production.
The workers agreed to end the strike and will return to work on Monday, the Australia Workers' Union (AWU) said in a statement.
Alcoa welcomed the AWU decision to end the strike, and added it would take the revised wage agreement to an employee vote next month, the company said in a statement.
The deal includes a commitment from Alcoa that it will not make employees forcibly redundant by outsourcing their work or replacing them with limited-term or casual employees.
"Job security is incredibly important when you are operating in this kind of environment and that is what our members have secured with this deal," AWU State Secretary Mike Zoetbrood said in the statement.
"There were a lot of dark periods over the past 52 days when we could have wavered," he added.
"But we held the line and this is the pay off."
Alcoa had said earlier this month that the production of alumina at the Western Australia operations had been cut by a total of about 15 000 t in August. The operations normally churn out about nine-million tonnes a year, or 25 000 tonnes a day.
The refineries and mines are owned by Alcoa of Australia, which is part of the AWAC group of companies. Sixty percent of AWAC is held by Alcoa and 40% by Alumina Ltd.
Comments
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Weir Minerals Europe, Middle East and Africa is a global supplier of excellent minerals solutions, including pumps, valves, hydrocyclones,...
VISIT SHOWROOM
South African leader in Steel -Racking, -Shelving, and -Mezzanine flooring. Universal has innovated an approach which encompasses conceptualising,...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
