A range of union and community partners are continuing to push ahead to establish Eureka’s Future in the Latrobe Valley – now that the initial work, by CFMEU Mining and Energy in commissioning the Business Plan, is complete.
We are building the 100,000 Australians Campaign as the appropriate means to establish Eureka’s Future and urge you to join us.
If 100,000 Australians join Earthworker Cooperative at $20 per member we will raise the $2 million needed for Eureka’s Future factory machinery, fit-out and finish.
The unit we will produce is the Everlast tank, solar collectors and associated components, a unit which is already successful in the marketplace.
The plan is to start with, but not be limited to:
- Manufacturing Jobs linked to environmental sustainability and renewable energy sources/goods
- Providing jobs which never leave our shores because they are owned by union-supported workers cooperatives, affiliated to the Earthworker Cooperative
- Manufacturing Solar Hot Water Units – Hot water is 26% of the household bill
- Deferring payment either through a person’s Enterprise Bargaining Agreement, Energy Bill or Superannuation
- Diversifying into manufacturing a the full range of green technologies
While the majority of profit will advance the Cooperatives, we will seek to always insure that some profits are used towards the elimination of youth homelessness and the waiting list for our elderly in hospital, dental, optical, and for other social justice responsibilities. We intend to take our communities with us.
Using the Everlast factory in Dandenong as a model, the Earthworker Cooperative’s first factory, Eureka’s Future, will need 12 staff members to manufacture the tank alone. However in the early days of the Earthworker project, most jobs will be created in the installation. For each solar hot water system manufactured, one day of work for an installer will be required, plus additional trade time for plumbing and electrical work (depending upon the system installed and the skills of the installer). Eleven installers doing an installation every week day would be the minimum required to install 2400 systems a month. Given the need to do site visits to quote on jobs and the variability of time required to do different installation, more than 20 installers would likely be needed to cover this level of installations.
In addition there will be additional staff required in sales and marketing and, over time, jobs created in repairs and maintenance. Establishing a small manufacturing facility and generating more local interest in installing solar hot water systems will therefore result in around 50 new substantive manufacturing and ancillary jobs.
Making this initiative a success will then provide Earthworker Cooperative with the experience to expand into a diverse range of renewable energy and sustainability manufacturing and installation initiatives, resulting in even more job creation.
