BELANDRA/LARBERG/ESP/EMP   Federal Court Action The court case that should determine the right of the sacked workers from Belandra and E.M.P. to have their jobs and agreements reinstated will commence before Justice North on 11th March. Once the Belandra matter is finished, the case of the discrimination against the E.M.P. (ex P&R) workers will be before the Court.  Late last year the Union was successful in obtaining an injunction to force the Tasman Group (Catalfamo, Cabral etc) to re-employ the ex P&R workers who had their work illegally taken away from them and transferred to casuals working for labour hire companies.    Peter Allen and Steven Amendola Allen and Amendola were responsible for much of the hardship, duress and intimidation that characterized the nine month lockout at G&K O'Connor and the subsequent erosion of all civilized wages and conditions at that abattoir.  Members are reminded of the absolute bastardry of that assault against a workforce whose only desire was to maintain wages and conditions freely agreed to by O'Connor over many years, without any industrial action.   Peter Allen was directly responsible, no doubt with the co-sanctioning of his chief legal adviser Steven Amendola and his boss Kevin O'Connor, for hiring that well known anti-worker, industrial standover man Bruce Studley Townsend.  Townsend in turn hired thugs to infiltrate O'Connor's workforce and to get rid of Union members.  The unsavoury tactics used by Allen and Townsend and his 'spies' included secret videotaping and audiotape recording of workers' private conversations, attempts to bribe witnesses, attempts to have witnesses perjure themselves, coercion, and on at least one occasion Townsend's spies were instructed to pick a fight with a leading Union member so that when the member retaliated he could be dismissed.  This disingenuous plan of Peter Allen's fell through as the Union member showed tremendous courage and discipline and did not fight back when attacked by the thug.  Even so Peter Allen still tried to sack him.    All these matters and many more were the subject of sworn testimony in the A.I.R.C. in the case of the unfair dismissal of Ray Murphy, a member of O'Connor's workforce for nearly 20 years against whom Peter Allen tried to fabricate evidence in order to satisfy some petty personal vendetta.   Tasman Group has Hired Allen and Amendola Despite his unsavoury record at O'Connor's, the Tasman Group have hired Peter Allen and Steven Amendola.  It is known in the industry that Allen is close to Gilbert Cabral, who is evidently behind the anti-Union push at Brooklyn, Kyle Road, Yarrawonga and Longford.  It seems as though the reactionary element within the Tasman Group has gained the ascendancy.  There can be no other explanation for the employment of Allen and Amendola.  It can be assured with reasonable certainty that Amendola's legal firm, Blake Dawson Waldron have replace the Tasman Group's previous legal advisers on the recommendation of Gilbert Cabral's mate Peter Allen.  It can also be reasonably assumed that the involvement of Amendola is likely to herald the black hands of Abbott and Howard who are determined to attack Unionists at any cost.  It should never be forgotten that Amendola was Peter Reith's personal solicitor at the time of the O'Connor dispute.   The Need to Organise As members at Kyle Road who work for ESP, Larberg, and the Tasman Group would well know, the Union has had great difficulty in accessing the workers. Entry has been refused often and at Kyle Road the Union has been forced on many occasions to hold its meetings in a room several hundred metres from where the workers wish to hold their meetings in their normal lunch room.  Those who have not yet signed up are urged to do so by obtaining a Direct Debit form from the Union delegate or purchasing a Union ticket directly.  Members at Kyle Road are also advised to be wary of company stooges who have been 'appointed' to represent the workforce.  One such appointee is Anthony Namana who is not a member of the Union and obviously is not entitled to represent Unionists.  Namana and his father George have been used by the Cabral brothers in the past to undermine the Union and discourage workers from joining.  The Cabrals and the Namanas have also been behind the practice of cash payments to selected workers, usually boners, as a means of preventing proper industrial organization on the job. Members who are at Kyle Road in the boning room should ensure their representatives are properly elected at meetings conducted by a Union official.  This can easily be arranged through the Union office.   Smallstock to Resume The Union believes there will be a resumption of smallstock killing at Kyle Road in the near future.  We have reminded E.S.P. and Larberg that they gave an undertaking in front of Commissioner Smith of the A.I.R.C. that they would re-employ the workers previously employed.  Should the Company fail to do this, and in particular should they discriminate against the delegates, the Union will take immediate legal action to rectify the situation.