Kodak exposed

September 16, 2004

"Kodak is shutting its Coburg plant while crying poor, but its share price has jumped nearly 20 per cent," David Glanz, Socialist Alliance candidate for the seat of Wills, said today.

The Kodak site is in the Wills electorate.

"This decision will wreck the lives of more than 600 workers and their families. Meanwhile Kodak's shares, which began the year at $US25.67, closed on Wednesday at $US30.

"Kodak says its traditional business is being eroded by digital photography. But the functions carried out at Coburg will not come to an end -- they will merely be transferred to other Kodak plants in Europe, North America and Asia," Glanz said.

"Kodak has been propped up by public money for more than a decade. Millions of public dollars have been given to the company to keep the Coburg plant open, and now the workers and the community are being kicked in the teeth.

"Either Kodak should hand back the public subsidies, or spend the equivalent amount on retooling the plant to make digital cameras and peripherals," Glanz said.

"Wills has lost so many industrial jobs already with the closure of factories like Chef and Yakka. Kodak was easily the largest remaining manufacturing site in the electorate. The rot has to stop.

"The unions covering Kodak workers should not meekly negotiate redundancy payments. Instead they should be organising a fightback for jobs and prepare to occupy the plant to keep it open.

"Workers all around the country would cheer a fight against the job wreckers," Glanz said.

For further comment: David Glanz, 0418 316 310.

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