Eighteen of the workers have been on strike since August 17 and all of them have joined the picket line that was set up a few days later. In retaliation, the company has threatened to lock out the unionists for twice as long as their strike lasts.

The workers are concerned about safety in the factory. "Ultrasonic sound waves that fuse the plastic together cause headaches and hearing damage. But there are no warnings or ear protection," said Stephen Lynch. There are no windows in the place and only a small vent in the roof," he added, even though fumes from the rubber are toxic and workers are not issued protective equipment. "There's no occupational health and safety." In the past, workers who have expressed concern on these matters have been fired.

Elsie Dixon, a union co-delegate at the factory, explained the sexual harassment workers face. A female worker was hurt when a supervisor pulled on a scarf around her neck. "They try to intimidate you, especially the quiet ones," said Dixon. "We want to stop the intimidation." Workers at RNJ hail from the Philippines, Samoa, New Zealand, and Fiji. Supervisors are racist towards many of the migrant women, calling them names such as "monkeys." At the company Christmas party, the boss openly boasted to his wife that "these are all my slaves."

The workers only unionized three months ago, gaining recognition from the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union. "Some of us have never experienced this before," said Dixon. "The boss said 'you get in that union and you're going to get the sack [fired].'"

"Money is not the issue" explained Lynch. "All we want is a bit of respect." The intimidation of these workers has brought them together in the fight for dignity. "Before the strike we didn't know any of the ladies," said Winston Debilda, explaining the segregation of men and women into manufacturing and assembly respectively. He explained that they were not even "allowed to talk" to each other.

Underestimating the workers' militancy, the boss told them: "You're sheep, you're easily led, at the click of a finger I have control." The solidarity of the workers has proved otherwise. "We all came out and we all stick together," said Dixon. I'm not a slave anymore, I'm outside," added Jocelyn Sims.

Benjamin Chand is a member of the Young Socialists in Australia.  
 
 
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