| What: | Fonterra dairy workers to take week-long strike action over pay and conditions disparities between Fonterra sites. | |
| When: | Monday, September 8 (7:40am – midnight) with similar action on following days. | |
| Where: | Fonterra Bayswater: Unit 1/48 Jersey Road, Baywater VIC, 3153 | |
| Who: | 80 United Worker Union dairy workers, United Workers Union South East Dairy Organiser Dave Harris | |
Fonterra Bayswater workers are today (Monday 8 September 7:40AM – to midnight) starting rolling strikes following weeks of industrial action over pay and conditions.
Over 80 dairy workers are expected to take part in the action commencing today (Monday, September 8) and running until Friday September 12, unless an agreement is reached.
The escalation in industrial action follows 6 months of negotiations in which Fonterra Australia – which is being sold with a price tag of $4 billion – has failed to put forward an offer that addresses the inequality in pay and conditions between Bayswater and other Victorian Fonterra sites.
Fonterra workers at Bayswater are paid around $5 less than a Fonterra worker at other Victoria sites and are being short-changed on redundancy payouts by around 78 weeks. Other Fonterra workers receive 130 weeks redundancy compared to just 52 weeks at Bayswater.
The commencement of all-day rolling strikes follows two weeks of industrial action at the site, with two 1 hour stop works on August 22 and a stop work action across day and afternoon shifts on two days last week.
United Workers Union members at the Bayswater site have been pushing for a 4-year agreement, including an increase to the base rate of pay, improved redundancy payout to 60 weeks and greater work health and safety measures, overall lessening the gap in pay and entitlements between Bayswater and other Fonterra sites.
Attributable to Neil Smith, United Workers Union National Dairy Coordinator:
“At the end of the day it’s about fairness, if Fonterra can afford higher wages and higher redundancy payouts at their other sites in Cobden, Darnum and Stanhope, then they can afford what our members are asking for here at Bayswater.
“All other Fonterra sites here in Victoria have 130 weeks redundancy and pay dairy workers up to $5 more per hour, thanks to their UWU union agreements.
“Meanwhile UWU members at Bayswater are asking for just 60 weeks in redundancy payouts. How cheap is Fonterra that they would fight us on this, when they can afford to pay more everywhere else?
“Our members have been the reasonable party in these negotiations. They have asked for cost-of-living improvements to their base rate of pay, a reasonable increase to their redundancy payout and a legitimate need for lifting devices on site to help prevent workplace injuries. All of which have been refused.
“These workers today are enacting their right to take protected industrial action, following over 6 months of negotiations with the company. Our members are out here on the picket line fighting for a fair pay deal, because their employer has refused to give them one.”