Bridgestone Australia decides against lockout

ADELAIDE, Australia (Aug. 13)—Bridgestone Australia Ltd. has decided against locking out workers at its Salisbury tire plant and instead will reconvene labor negotiations with union representatives there in an attempt to resolve the issues separating the parties. Production was to continue unabated. Bridgestone had notified the 580 employees at the plant on Aug. 6 it planned to lock them out from Aug. 12-27, saying it believed the money-losing plant could not operate under the terms proposed by the unions nor operate without making certain changes that would increase productivity and reduce manufacturing costs. Bridgestone announced its decision after meeting the Australian Industrial Relations Commission officials on Aug. 11. Labor and management have been negotiating since March. Workers twice have voted down management proposals, which link all future wage rises to productivity, increase working hours and cut various entitlements, according to the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers´ Unions, which had appealed publicly to Bridgestone to reconsider its lock-out threat.