The large gas and oil sectors in Australia are dominated by global companies. In the last few years, they have launched an offensive against workers in Australia to slash wages and conditions.

Longford in the south eastern Australian state of Victoria is the latest flashpoint of this battle. Esso is trying to force its maintenance workers to be employed by a shelf company which would pay them up to 40% less in wages and introduce brutal shifts that would see workers working up to 4 weeks straight.

We talk to Dane Colman, a maintenance workers with the Electrical Trades Union of Victoria, about their 5 months long community assembly and the dynamics and impacts of their struggle.

Asia Pacific Currents provides updates of labour struggles and campaigns from the Asia Pacific region. It is produced by Australia Asia Worker Links, in the studio of 3CR Radio in Melbourne, Australia