Turn on commercial radio and it won't take long before someone starts whingeing about something being unAustralian or how asylum seekers are pinching Aussie jobs. No such outrage when 27 maintenance workers - most with years of experience  - at National Foods in Morwell lose their jobs and are replaced by contract workers from interstate.  

On 30 June 2009  the enterprise agreement expired and despite the unions and employees having spent 18 months negotiating a new deal and lodging it with Fair Work Australia, on 30 June 2010 the company sent a letter to workers telling them their maintenance jobs were being outsourced.

In addition all employees were immediately stood down. Their jobs have gone to the the labour hire company ATIVO  - http://www.ativo.com.au - which is using employees from NSW, QLD and WA. All this happened at the same time as National Foods announced an increase in the volume of production and a $55 million upgrade of the Morwell yogurt and dairy foods facility. The employees are conducting a peaceful protest outside the Morwell plant.  One wonders how peaceful the protest might have been had the sackings occurred in Greece or France!

The disgraceful conduct of National Foods inspired a heart felt song from 14-year-old Jade Carpenter, the daughter of one of the sacked workers. 

How uplifting to see a young person turning turning her guitar and her voice into a weapon for justice. 

The song will be featured here very soon