Former Reflex plant in dispute with union.

 

Nippon Paper’s Opal Maryvale Mill, once the manufacturing base for Reflex office paper, is in the news again with the Japanese owners locking out 300 workers.

 

Employees of the Maryvale Mill continue to be locked out of the complex following a long-running dispute with the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU).

 

Opal has been engaged in Enterprise Agreement discussions with more than 300 Maryvale Mill production team members and the CFMEU. 

 

On January 16, seven operators halted work for six hours, forcing the company to close the doors for other production team workers with an hour’s notice.

 

Late last month, the CFMEU and Australian Council of Trades Unions (ACTU) met with workers to discuss further actions towards Opal’s decision to dock pay and to amend working conditions.

 

Opal ceased local production of Reflex in early 2023 and now only manufactures packaging grades at Maryvale. The Reflex brand was later sold to Thailand’s Double A.