Kiama MP Gareth Ward says he remains committed to “advancing the best possible case” for affected Port Kembla steelworkers and the Illawarra.
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More than 500 steelworks gathered to vote on the future of Illawarra steelmaking last week.
As they raised hands in favour of maintaining the fight to save the industry, they put their community before themselves – and called on the government to act.
“Even though this [vote] is the best possible result from a bad situation, this best possible result is still a terrible result for the families [of workers] that will lose their jobs,” Mr Ward, who is also the Parliamentary Secretary for the Illawarra, said.
“I’m very conscious of the weight of this decision and the impact this will have on our community.”
The steelworkers who gathered at Fairy Meadow’s Fraternity Club voted on a proposal that would save BlueScope money but cost them hard-won conditions.
In August, BlueScope chief executive Paul O’Malley said $200 million in cost savings – including 500 job cuts – had to be achieved otherwise the steelworks would close.
Fighting to save as many positions as possible, union officials looked for alternative measures to save money.
The result was a proposal that would freeze wages for three years, allow for more flexible working arrangement and see sick pay on weekends and public holidays paid at the standard rate.
Mr Ward said discussions with BlueScope about NSW Government assistance were ongoing and he had been in contact with Premier Mike Baird and Industry Minister Anthony Roberts after the meeting. “I look forward to seeing an announcement as soon as a proposition can be debated and resolved through Cabinet,” he said.