FORGACS workers face a nervous wait to see if they will retain their ship building and maintenance jobs at Tomago, under a new owner.
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The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union has welcomed the proposed Forgacs sale to Civmec even though there’s been no indication of how many people will stay on.
Civmec’s due diligence will determine their fate but possibly not before Christmas.
“Our members are still in limbo,” AMWU state organiser Corey Wright said.
“Whether they will have roles with Civmec they don’t know yet.”
The Forgacs workforce has shrunk incrementally year after year.
About 100 tradespeople and 40 project managers remain at Tomago with a further 30 people at Hexham.
The Civmec purchase and its ship building ambition promise to preserve the region’s expertise.
“We would really like to talk to Civmec as a representative of the workforce when our focus is on the welfare of workers,” Mr Wright, who is based at Newcastle, said.
“Obviously leading up to Christmas the workers need to know their fate.”
The staff’s long term security will however require new ship building contracts.
“It’s a good thing that private enterprise is backing the Australian ship building industry but unless the Australian Government backs this with contiguous contracts it’s for nothing,” Mr Wright said.
“A significant area of interest for us in this potential purchase is the fact Forgacs has built up a very capable and skilled local workforce over their long history."
- Civmec CEO Patrick Tallon
Civmec will treat the Tomago facility as an east coast base to bid on and complete major naval projects provided the purchase goes through.
“We are currently working through due diligence with the aim to close out the process by the end of December,” Civmec CEO Patrick Tallon said.
“If the purchase proceeds, we will then actively tender for projects which suit the facility and will recruit a workforce to deliver those projects.”
Mr Tallon said Civmec would meet with the AMWU at the appropriate time.
“We have a good relationship with AMWU and will be happy to discuss our plans once the due diligence has been completed and a decision to proceed with the acquisition is agreed,” he said.
“As the due diligence nears completion, we will make offers of employment to selected staff on an individual basis.”
The quality and expertise of the workforce, however, has considerable value.
“A significant area of interest for us in this potential purchase is the fact Forgacs has built up a very capable and skilled local workforce over their long history and we wish to bring these skills into our workforce as our workload permits,” Mr Tallon said.