ALPINE Shire Council is seeking legal advice on whether it can help end the stalemate at Carter Holt Harvey’s Myrtleford timber mill.
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Alpine Shire Mayor Ron Janas said a public forum at Myrtleford on Monday had urged the shire to set up a meeting of stakeholders in the ongoing industrial relations dispute.
“We are willing to try to work as best we can with the community to resolve this issue,” he said.
“We are yet to contact the parties involved but we are certainly willing to try to broker something.”
Carter Holt Harvey employee Josh Robb said 150 people attended a public forum on Monday night.
Mr Robb said predominantly non-union mill workers, business people and community members voiced their concerns about the mill stalemate during a productive, two-hour meeting at Sam Scalzo’s property.
He said organisers were overwhelmed with interest and had to move the forum to a bigger venue.
“After door-knocking and setting up a Facebook page the meeting had to be held in Sam’s tobacco shed to fit 150 people,” he said.
“There were 30 per cent workers – only two union members – and the rest made up of concerned members of the public like real estate agents, retailers and accountants.”
Former Bayside City Council Mayor Stephen Hartney, who was staying in the region for the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, attended the meeting.
Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union national secretary Michael O’Connor said Carter Holt Harvey representatives refused to meet with union delegates on Tuesday.
Mr O’Connor said there was no indication when the company would meet with them.
“We’re bitterly disappointed that trying to resolve the issue at Myrtleford is not important to them,” he said.
“More than 200 people have been locked out of their work for more than 50 days and the local economy is being severely affected.”
Mr O’Connor said he had never known a workplace to lock their workers out for that long.
“I’ve been a union official since 1985 and I’ve never seen an employer lock workers out for over 50 days,” he said.
“It’s really rare lockouts ever happen and it never happens over 50 days; pain is being inflicted on the community of Myrtleford.
“The company is all care and no responsibility.”