This month representatives, including delegates and members from the CEPU Tasmania, the AWU – Australian Workers’ Union, Mining & Energy Union and AMWU – Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union travelled to Canberra to ask for some much-needed surety and security around their crucial jobs at Liberty Bell Bay.
The union delegation met with politicians of all stripes to seek commitment to backing in the payment of wages for workers while the administrators work to find a buyer for Liberty Bell Bay.
Workers stressed the situation for the George Town community, and for Northern Tasmania, is serious.
The Federal and State Governments have reached agreement to provide funding for an additional pay cycle, while the Administrator continues to power through the sales process.
There was broad support for the workers’ asks, and a genuine want to ensure the workers and Tassie community are supported through what has been a very high-pressure experience so far.
And just this week Liberty Bell Bay unions have welcomed another $5 million wage lifeline as sales process for Liberty Bell Bay gains momentum
Unions have newly secured another $5 million wage support package – a critical step in protecting the future of Australia’s only manganese smelter, while warning that long-term certainty for workers and the community must remain the priority.
The sales process is now trending in a positive direction but stressed ongoing support is essential to ensuring the smelter stays operational.
The Liberty Bell Bay smelter directly employs hundreds of workers and supports thousands more jobs across Tasmania through contractors, supply chains, and regional economic activity. Unions say a successful sale would protect around $340 million in gross state product and preserve a critical piece of Australia’s sovereign industrial capability.
“It’s crucial that state and federal governments continue to back in the workforce and keep the smelter operational during the sale process.
“We must continue to protect the highly skilled workers that keep Liberty Bell Bay running and we must work to create a future for a facility that is so important to Tasmania and the rest of the country.
“Workers have fought hard for this outcome; they have fought to ensure wages can be guaranteed and no one is left behind during these times of uncertainty. The workers are the future of Liberty Bell Bay. And unions will continue working together to make sure Bell Bay has a long-term future.”
– CEPU Tasmania Branch Secretary, Chris Clark
We know this is an incredibly stressful situation and it continues to develop quickly. If CEPU Tasmania members have any questions of concerns, please contact your union.
Your union will continue to work with State and Federal Governments on ensuring certainty for the workers, and we won’t stop fighting until we get it.