Pubdate: Thu, 19 Oct 2000
Source: Age, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2000 David Syme & Co Ltd
Contact:  250 Spencer Street, Melbourne, 3000, Australia
Website: http://www.theage.com.au/
Author: Paul Robinson

STRIKE THREAT OVER DRUG-TEST PLAN

Up to 1000 workers at Visy Industries ( http://www.visy.com.au/ ) have
threatened strike action over the company's move to introduce compulsory
drug testing.

Under the proposal, workers must agree to breath, urine and blood tests for
alcohol, amphetamines, opiates, barbiturates methadone, cocaine and
cannabis - or face instant dismissal. If workers agree to be tested and are
found to have a blood-alcohol reading of more than .04 per cent, or drug
levels of between 50 and 300 micrograms per litre, they also face immediate
dismissal.

The Visy group, run by Melbourne businessman Richard Pratt, has signalled
the health and safety policy to cut accidents and costs associated with
rehabilitating injured workers.

Under the policy, managers who notice odd or uncharacteristic behavior in
employees can demand that they take a drug test. If initial tests show
positive, managers can direct workers to take supervised blood tests. If
workers refuse, they face immediate dismissal.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union was alerted to the policy after
a draft was accidentally sent through company email this week. Stopwork
meetings were called across the company's 10 sites in protest and over the
dismissal of two injured workers.

Visy then sent letters of explanation, advising that the company had
planned to consult workers before the policy was implemented. The company's
general manager of human resources, Victor Columbus, said Visy had not
"unilaterally implemented" a substance-abuse policy, and never intended to
unilaterally implement a substance-abuse policy. "It is Visy's desire to
jointly develop a substance-abuse policy via consultation between employees
and management at each location," his letter said.

AMWU ( http://www.amwu.asn.au/ ) printing division secretary Jim Reid said
workers were angry at not being consulted in the preparation of a
"draconian" document. "The levels they have prescribed here are below what
the law requires in the community. We get the feeling the company is
pursuing a zero-tolerance policy on this issue, and that's not on."

Mr Reid said the union did not support tolerance for workers being
influenced by drugs or alcohol for safety reasons, but the policy was too
harsh and arbitrary. "There are circumstances where people might provide a
high reading because of what has gone on the night before," he said. "Or
there may be some extenuating circumstances from the use of prescribed
medicine. This is not covered in the policy, and we were not consulted
about it."

Mr Reid said that before the policy was widely known to workers, an
"overzealous" manager at the Reservoir plant had implemented it, causing a
temporary strike.

Mr Columbus's letter also showed that a worker at the Dandenong plant "was
incorrectly tested after reporting to management that he was taking
prescription drugs - this to establish that he was fit for performing
duties in a safe manner".

A Visy spokesman said the health and safety of employees was paramount. "We
are in the process of discussing the implementation of an appropriate
substance-abuse policy with our employees, and most employees and their
unions are supportive of the concept.

"A draft policy, which has the support of the joint union-management
committee on substance abuse, will be put before employees in several of
our factories next week. It will include extensive education, support and
rehabilitation programs paid for by the company."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Eric Ernst