Mill's Material Gain
Newcastle Herald
Wednesday March 15, 2000
IT was a subdued atmosphere at the National Textiles Rutherford picket line late yesterday as a truck carrying controversial fire-proof fabric bound for a Queensland textiles factory passed through the front gates.
The $140,000 worth of cotton drill cloth should arrive at the Stewart and Heaton Clothing Company this morning, securing the positions of 80 textile workers employed at the Queensland plant.
The material will be used to make firemen's clothing.
Textile Clothing and Footwear Industry spokesman and sacked National Textiles worker Geoff McMahon and former colleague Jamie Ozga worked yesterday afternoon to load a semitrailer with the nine tonnes of cloth. They will be paid by the Stewart and Heaton Clothing Company.
Mr McMahon said the mood at the picket line yesterday was much the same as earlier this week.
`We (union members) made a decision to release this fabric and we are sticking by that decision,' he said.
The truck was scheduled to leave the Rutherford plant about 5pm yesterday, although problems with forklifts which were being sent from Newcastle to Rutherford to assist in the loading process were expected to delay the departure.
Mr McMahon said the fabric, which was processed at National Textiles Rutherford, had to be in Queensland this morning.
Union members who met at the picket line on Monday were told by officials they had set a benchmark for all other Australian unions in their quest for full entitlements.
Sacked Rutherford workers should receive their full entitlements on Friday.
National Textiles creditors announced on Monday they had signed a deed of company arrangement.
They agreed last month on the deed, which would give the 342 sacked workers the $11million they were owed after the company closed in mid-January.
© 2000 Newcastle Herald