Workers at a factory in Laverton, in Melbourne’s west, are preparing to strike for the second strike time in a week over enterprise agreement negotiations with their employer, VIP Packaging – which makes plastic and steel containers.

Most of the workers are members of the National Union of Workers, but a handful of technicians are represented by the Australian Manufacturing Workers’Union.

Fed up with stalled negotiations, workers from both unions voted to take action and walked out for 24-hours on 28 October. For many involved, this was their first strike. On the picket, workers said that it was also the first time the factory had been completely shut because of industrial action, with stoppages in the past affecting only small sections of the workforce.

Management have used negotiations for a new agreement to attack pay and conditions. Redundancy entitlements have been particularly targeted with the company proposing a sharp restructure in the way they are calculated and paid out.

According to one worker Red Flag spoke to, the changes will most affect those who have worked at the factory the longest. The company wants to scrap all increases to redundancy payouts that accrue after 15 years of employment. “I’ve been working here for 30 years and I’ll lose half my entitlements”, he said.

The workers are also trying to win permanent jobs for casual workers after 12 months of employment. Casuals, who are paid lower rates than permanent workers, are currently employed through a labour-hire company and have no job security guarantees.

One of the strike organisers said that the redundancy payments and a “fair” wage increase were central to the dispute. The company has offered 2.5 percent a year, but the workers want 3 percent.

“We’re out here for each other”, she said. “We’ll do what we have to to get what we want”. Pending consideration of a revised company offer, their second strike day is planned for 5 November.