Victoria, Australia, November 10, 2006--The dispute between carpet company Godfrey Hirst and a union over troubled company Feltex Carpets will go before the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) today, according to News,com.au.
Godfrey Hirst has offered to buy the Victorian-based company, which is in receivership.
The Textile Clothing & Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA) has accused Godfrey Hirst of seeking an exemption from paying redundancies to workers who don't sign Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs).
"We're talking about workers who have given over 30 years of service to the company who now face losing their job and their redundancy," TCFUA state secretary Michele O'Neil said.
But Godfrey Hirst spokesman David Wilson said the move would provide continued employment to its 500 workers.
"We have not offered anyone AWAs, we have tried to get a collective agreement and the union won't be party to that," Mr Wilson said ahead of this morning's hearing in Melbourne.
He said the existing workplace agreement was "about 600 pages long, it's convoluted and we wish to replace it with a union collective agreement which is much shorter and provides better working conditions".
