The federal government is being asked to intervene as more than 200 inner-west workers appear likely to lose their jobs within weeks.
Eighty workers at a West Footscray uniform factory will be made redundant when the company closes its doors at the end of next month, while about 150 job losses are imminent at Williamstown’s naval shipyard in the wake of a $40billion shipbuilding program going to South Australia.
Gellibrand MP Tim Watts said Labor had written three times to Defence Minister Kevin Andrews seeking his intervention in preventing the West Footscray closure.
Star Weekly reported in May that the WorkWear Group was struggling to keep its defence apparel manufacturing factory open after failing to secure a new order with the Defence Materiel Organisation.
RELATED: Williamstown shipyard job woes deepen
The company has now confirmed it will close its Sunshine Road doors on September 30, along with the adjacent Hard Yakka Work Wear Centre.
All 43 manufacturing and two retail roles will be made redundant, with a further 35 casual workers also to go.
WorkWear Group is Australia’s largest workwear provider, manufacturing more than one million uniforms each year for workers including police, firefighters and nurses.
A statement by WorkWear Group blamed the closure on “challenging conditions in the defence uniform market” and the changing nature of defence procurement.
“WorkWear Group recognises this is a difficult time for many people and we will continue our support of affected employees during this time of uncertainty,” the statement said.
In a joint letter with shadow ministers Stephen Conroy and Kim Carr and shadow assistant defence minister David Feeney on August 5, Mr Watts urged the minister to urgently reconsider placing a new order with WorkWear.
But a Department of Defence spokesman said the factory closure was the company’s decision.
“WorkWear Group presented three revised costing options for the manufacture of uniforms, but all three options remain uncompetitive in comparison to the alternative supplier, Australian Defence Apparel at Bendigo,” the spokesman said.
He said Defence placed an order with the WorkWear Group to extend production to the end of August to allow the company more time to pursue other avenues of work at the West Footscray factory..
“Unfortunately, the WorkWear Group has been unable to offer more competitive revised pricing,” the spokesman said.
