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UNI is calling on affiliates to join the online campaign to protest Mayr-Melnhof Packaging’s (MMP) sacking of its Liverpool workforce by signing on to the online campaign and circulating this message to all members: http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=1369



This week workers protested outside the company’s shareholders meeting in Vienna and demanded justice. UNI also joined affiliate UNITE at the meeting to protest against the unlawful dismissals. As part of the on-going campaign to have the 140 workers reinstated and the factory in Liverpool reopened, UNI is supporting UNITE in the online campaign.



UNI Global Union General Secretary, Philip Jennings, and Head of UNI Graphical and Packaging, Steve Walsh have already written to the CEO of Austrian company MMP urging the packaging multinational to reinstate the 149 dismissed UK workers, re-open the Bootle factory and negotiate with UNITE in good faith.



Walsh said, “We have received a reply from MMP CEO Wilhelm Hörmanseder in which he denies the illegality of shutting down the Liverpool packaging factory and dismissing the 140 workers without notice – some of whom have been there for 30 years. He says that the workers have received contractual payments including holiday and notice. We have written back to inform him that this is simply not true and that no payments have been made.” Walsh added, “The reality is that this is an illegal lockout which has been going on since February and MMP has brought disgrace both on itself and by association Austria.”



UNITE is calling on the Norwegian government, which is a shareholder in the Bootle company, and other shareholders to ensure that MMP complies with its obligation under UK and European law to engage in talks with UNITE. The Norwegian government is known as an ethical investor that has high standards for the companies it invests in. UNITE is also targeting key MMP clients such as Kellogg’s, the cereal manufacturer who’s founder WK Kellogg built a philanthropic empire over a hundred years ago.



UNI General Secretary, Philip Jennings said, “The founder of Kellogg’s would turn in his grave if he knew how workers packaging his cereals were being treated. We will not let this lie. MMP’s Liverpool workforce has our wholehearted support. We will continue to fight alongside UNITE until justice is done and MMP honours its responsibilities.”



UNI, which represents almost 1 million graphical and packaging workers worldwide, is fully engaged in the struggle to have the MMP workers in the UK reinstated.