The 102-year-old Alstom factory will not be closing without a fight, as workers will hit the streets calling for action after weeks of speculation regarding more than 60 factory jobs in Ballarat.
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On Wednesday, workers will protest the state government for its failure to provide certainty about building new trains.
The demonstration, organised by unions, will take place outside the Alstom factory on Creswick Road from noon.
READ MORE: Jobs still hang in the balance at Alstom
It is billed as a "community rally", aiming to show solidarity with workers whose jobs are at risk unless a new contract is signed, and to "highlight to the state government the need to follow through with the commitment made by Daniel Andrews that the Alstom workshops will never close under his government", according to an Australian Manufacturing Workers Union release.
Melbourne's metropolitan trains, the X'Trapolis, have been built in Ballarat since 2002, but there is no contract to continue building a new design, Alstom's X'Trapolis 2.0 - also designed in Ballarat.
This means about 65 direct jobs are on the line at the Ballarat factory - right now, workers are completing an order of 30 train carriages, but when this project is finished, there is no guarantee of further work.
Union representatives say there is a need for more train sets to replace older, obsolete models, and should the state government decide to build the X'Trapolis 2.0, it will keep jobs in Ballarat - but, the longer the wait for confirmation, the more risk of the factory closing.
Workers at the site said on Tuesday there has been lingering uncertainty about their jobs.
"We're not going to be able to hold on," one said.
In a statement, an Alstom spokesperson said "continued operation of the site and the retention of jobs will not be viable beyond the current order" if a contract is not secured.
AMWU organiser Chris Spindler warned workers could take their skills elsewhere if they are left in limbo, despite the 102-year history of the site.
"If you get to the point where the Alstom worksite is basically dismantled, you lose that collective set of skills, and knowledge on how to build the trains, that is sitting waiting there next year ready to go," he said.
"You're actually restricting your ability to get the job done efficiently and well.
"There's a fair amount of stress and strain amongst those 70 families in terms of their future next year."
The plan for the new trains has been submitted to the state government, and a thorough assessment of the design is under way.
A state government response gave no indication on the future of the site - a spokesperson said the government "has had a long working relationship" with the company, and "will always continue" to support local jobs.
"We invested $103.5 million in five new six-carriage X'Trapolis trains in the 2018-19 Victorian Budget to meet growing passenger demand on Melbourne's rail network, while retaining jobs and skills in Ballarat until at least the middle of next year," they said in a statement.
"Work is underway with the first train from the most recent order expected to be delivered in late 2019."
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