Bridgestone Australia Locks Workers Out

In a continuation of the industrial action that has hampered operations at Bridgestone Australia since the start of March, on the evening of March 27 the tyremaker locked around 450 workers out of its Adelaide plant and suspended production for three days. The affected staff are mainly those working in a production or maintenance capacity at the plant.

Bridgestone claims its action was a necessary response to three weeks of union agitation, including strikes, overtime bans, and work stoppages. “This is about survival of the plant in a tough automotive manufacturing environment,” stated a Bridgestone spokeswoman.

Earlier in the day union representatives had met with plant management to discuss the dispute over pay rises, however the two parties failed to reach any agreement.