The feud between former Scanlan & Theodore supplier Blossom Road and the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA) has come to a close, following four months of campaigning by the industry body.
As previously reported in Ragtrader, the disagreement began earlier this year when the TCFUA began investigating the liquidation of knitwear manufacturer Blossom Road, a key supplier to local brand Scanlan & Theodore.
The liquidation of Blossom Road, which occurred in May this year, saw workers lose close to half a million dollars in employee entitlements. Following the collapse, the company resurfaced under a new business name, resumed business at the same premises, and continued supplying Scanlan & Theodore, which was a major client at the time of Blossom Road's collapse.
In response, sacked workers of Blossom Road, in conjunction with the TCFUA, have held protests every Friday for four months demanding full entitlements and voluntary superannuation payments of up to $50 per week for payments they claim were deducted from their earnings by Blossom Road.
The saga has now come to an end, with TCFUA national and state secretary Michele O'Neil confirming earlier this week that all of the union members at Blossom Road have received their entitlements in full, including long-service leave, annual leave, redundancy pay, notice pay and superannuation contributions.
In a statement on its website the TCFUA announced its gratitude to those who supported the organisation in the battle over the past few months.
“The TCFUA and its members who were sacked from the Blossom Road Knitwear factory in Thomastown would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to all who were active in the campaign to win the workers their entitlements. We are very pleased to announce that the TCFUA members from Blossom Road have now been paid all their entitlements in full including outstanding Superannuation.
“It has been a tough and solid four months of shop protests, emails, phone calls, tweets and ongoing negotiations with the former owner of Blossom Road and the label Scanlan&Theodore. But our collective persistence has proven successful.”