SIXTY Brimbank workers face an uncertain future after losing their jobs when a Derrimut print company collapsed last week.
Employees were told on Friday they would not receive redundancy packages and would have to apply for their entitlements through the federal government’s entitlements and redundancy scheme.
It came days after Qantas announced it would close its Melbourne maintenance base and slash more than 400 jobs, including those of many Brimbank residents.
Earlier this month, 150 jobs were lost after Sunshine trucking firm 1st Fleet collapsed.
Sands Print Group went into administration on April 4 after racking up more than $5 million of debt due to falling revenue.
A worker at the factory, who did not want to be named, said the job cuts would make life hard for a lot of people.
“The workers here have families, home mortgages and car loans so this is devastating news for us,” he said.
“Manufacturing in Victoria is in dire straits and something needs to be done to keep these industries going.”
Australian Manufacturing Workers Union organiser Harriet Stewart said government payments usually took three-six months to arrive, causing stress for people with mortgages.
“It is a massively disappointing outcome and a frightening time for workers and their families,” Ms Stewart said.
“People don’t know when they will see money again. Most of them will be laid off on Tuesday and around 80 workers will end up out of work.”
Union officials last week warned that the Qantas decision alone would have a devastating effect on local communities.
Australian Workers Union state secretary Cesar Melhem said the decision to close the Tullamarine maintenance base was final, and the focus for the AWU and its alliance with the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the Electrical Trades Union was to minimise forced redundancies.
“We will be working to see how many they can let go as volunteers, but still that’s 422 jobs lost that are not going to be replaced in the near future.
“We might have people moving away to other suburbs or other states looking for work. Different occupations will be considered. We have 422 families from nearby suburbs that are now considering their options.”
A Qantas maintenance worker, who wanted his name withheld, said that when Qantas broke the news last Monday, he was given two weeks to consider his options.
He said he could apply for a position at the Qantas Brisbane base or take a package.
After working at Qantas for more than 10 years, he said he and fellow staff were “shell-shocked”.
“I’m up and down and taking it day by day – I’ve come in to work today and I’m in an angry, in-denial-type mood.
“There are people experiencing worse who can’t imagine leaving. There are others actually waiting for a package and enjoying it.”
Qantas maintenance worker Neil Kettle said that after 23 years with the airline, it was good timing for him to accept a package, but he felt for younger staff.
“It’s a real shame [management] have virtually destroyed the icon of Qantas; we have been that poorly managed from the CEO down.”
