The ongoing Tristar workers' entitlements row has taken a new turn with the Sydney company touting a video of their workers actually working.
The Office of Workplace Services (OWS) has launched action in the Federal Court against the car parts maker, accusing it of trying to dodge redundancy payments to 26 staff.
The company faces fines and possible compensation payouts for allegedly keeping on workers without work for them to do, to avoid paying out entitlements amounting to millions of dollars.
Tristar Steering and Suspension issued a statement offering a viewing of the work video to anyone interested in seeing it.
"Tristar workers are upset that the company has filmed them doing work when they, their unions, politicians and certain media claim there is no work at Tristar," the statement says.
Tristar says the workers are demanding that the video be destroyed.
"If any party is genuinely interested in seeing them working please contact the company media spokeswoman," the statement says.
The Tristar case has been the focus of recent political wranglings and interventions from Labor and Liberal MPs, federal and state.
Politicians have been proffering various explanations and targets for blame for Tristar's legally sanctioned position.
Tristar slashed its workforce by 90 per cent during a restructuring but maintains its Marrickville factory is operational and therefore its remaining workers are not entitled to redundancy payouts.
It's claimed the workers are being paid to go into work and listen to the radio and read the paper until a redundancy agreement, promising them four weeks' pay for each year of service, expires early next year.
Tristar says it has two years of work at the plant, reconditioning existing stock, but that workers were refusing to do it, despite being directed to do so by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.
The remaining workers, many of whom are aged in their 50s and 60s, say they are relying on their redundancy payout because they believe they will not be able to get another job.
The remaining workers have an average of 30 years' service each with the company and are entitled to four weeks' pay for each year.