Campaign for Workers Entitlements

Date: 17 December 2003

Australian Workers' Union National Secretary Bill Shorten will join with workers from the Gippsland based road contractor Eastern Road Profiling today at the company's first creditors meeting in Sale to campaign for lost entitlements owed to approximately 50 workers.

The AWU estimates that the workers, from the towns of Lakes Entrance, Bairnsdale, Sale, Traralgon, Metung & Cann River, have between $150,000 and $250,000 in unpaid entitlements owing to them.

Mr. Shorten said that the company was placed in Administration last Wednesday and the AWU is extremely concerned about the financial implications for the 50 workers who will have a hard time finding alternative employment over the Christmas period.

"These 50 workers and their families from the Gillpsland Region aren't going to have much to celebrate this Christmas - especially if they are not sure they will get everything they are owed." Mr Shorten said.

The AWU has also received information that Vic Roads owes the company in the order of $500,000 for work already completed.

"The AWU wants to ensure that the Minister for Transport compells Vic Roads to pay the $500,000 only on the provisio that the money is used in the first instance to pay the workers - when Vic Roads pays the money directly to the Adminsitrator the AWU wants to make sure that there are strings attached so the Banks don't que jump and get the money before the workers are paid out in full." Mr. Shorten said.

The AWU is also lobbying the State Government to make sure that the 50 workers, displaced through no fault of their own, are given preference of employment by any other contractor Vic Roads may use to do the work previously done by Eastern Road Profiling.

Mr. Shorten will be available for comment from 10.15 am in Sale and following the conculsion of the meeting.

For further information

Contact:	Paul Howes
Union:	The Australian Workers' Union
Phone:	03 8327 0888
Contact Mobile:	0407 041 933
Email:	media@awu.net.au
WWW:	http://www.awu.net.au

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