General News
25 October, 2023
Fonterra workers strike
COBDEN Fonterra workers went on strike last week.
COBDEN Fonterra workers went on strike last week.
Across Wednesday and Thursday, 130 workers across both of the Cobden Fonterra sites manned a picket line as they pushed for higher wages.
Speaking with the Cobden Timboon Coast Times, United Workers Union lead organiser Tom Czech said the local strike was part of statewide action involving Fonterra, Saputo and Peters.
He said the response from the wider community to the strike had been positive.
“The community is aware that it affects them. The wages that are earnt at this factory are spent in the community,” Mr Czech said.
“It’s critical that we have good paying secure jobs for regional communities.”
He said Fonterra had not reached out to the union since they were notified of the impending industrial action.
“We haven’t heard from Fonterra…they haven’t tried to resolve the issues prior to the action,” Mr Czech said.
He said further strikes could be possible if a solution was not found.
“We will be seeking instructions from members if the company doesn’t come to the table with a favourable resolution to the dispute,” Mr Czech said.
“It’s possible it (the industrial action) will continue.
“This isn’t just a dispute about wages; it’s a dispute about having secure communities and a strong dairy industry.
“We’re showing the company we really care about it.”
Fonterra Australia supply chain and operations director Rob Howell said while they were disappointed the United Workers’ Union had encouraged “some of our people to take industrial action but respect their right to do so”.
“For a number of months, Fonterra has been engaged in good faith negotiations with the union,” he said.
“We have a fair and reasonable offer on the table of a minimum 10.5 per cent salary increase over three years plus more leave options and greater protections for our workers.
“Our people covered by this agreement are paid significantly higher than the award, and we were committed to our people during COVID-19 when we provided them with pay increases of 2.5 per cent, 2.5 per cent and 2.75 per cent in 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively.”
Mr Howell said Fonterra has mobilised a cross-company team to ensure there were minimal disruptions as a result of the industrial action.
“Our farmers will continue milking, and we will be doing everything we can to ensure that their precious, perishable milk can be collected and not wasted,” he said.
“For the 48-hours of the industrial action, we expect that we will be able to continue milk collection. We will be working closely with our farmers to keep them updated if the situation were to change.”
Mr Howell said Fonterra has also executed its business contingency plans, which will mean processing will need to pause during the industrial action.
“However we have worked with our customers to provide good stocks of fresh milk in advance. We also have good inventory levels of butter and cheese to enable supply to continue based on current demand levels,” he said.
“We are confident that the supply of our dairy products will continue during the industrial action and will be working closely with our customers to keep them updated.
“Our sincere thanks go to our dedicated team who will be taking on additional responsibilities during this time. Their commitment to our customers and our business is greatly appreciated.”