NUW pumps better deal from Caltex

National Union of Workers (NUW) members at Caltex have won a deal that will see changes to their salary including a reduction in hours worked, annual wage increases and increased penalties.

Members had taken indefinite industrial action at the company’s lubricants facility in Lytton following attempts by management to cut wages and hours.

The workers produce all of the lubricants and motor oils for Caltex in Australia. The site produces around 400,000 to 500,000 litres of oil every week, with many trucks leaving the site bound for mines across Queensland and interstate. Caltex Australia is a fuel industry giant, posting a profit of $522 million in the last financial year, with Caltex CEO, Julian Segal, receiving $14 million in pay and bonuses.

All these workers were asking for was a fair day’s pay for their work.

On the first day, 24 October, numerous truck drivers, who often knew the workers by name, turned their trucks around rather than cross the picket line. Other trucks were defiantly blocked and left empty handed.

Through standing united for 10 days picketing outside the plant at Lytton, NUW members and supporters secured an outcome that ensures the wages paid for each hour worked are largely maintained.