Tasmanian workers at a major dairy factory are again striking over a pay gap of almost 24% with their mainland counterparts, with unions now calling for a boycott of the company’s products.
Employees at the Saputo Burnie plant have walked off the job in support of maintenance workers who are paid less than those doing the same job in Victoria.
Unions Tasmania Secretary Jessica Munday said the strike is a last resort after months of failed negotiations with the company, which they accuse of taking advantage of Tasmanian workers.
“Tasmanian workers across the private and public sector are often paid less than mainland counterparts,” she said.
“So the fight that the workers are having at Saputo really resonates with lots of our members because they’re fighting for the same thing in their workplaces too.”
Jacob Batt, Acting State Secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, said the pay gap is “appalling”.
“At a time when we have cost of living pressures, we’ve seen reports of the cost of living in Tasmania is dramatically high,” he said.
“It’s no longer cheaper to rent in Tasmania. It’s no longer cheaper to buy a house in Tasmania. Tasmanian workers are standing up and saying, poor cousin, no more.”
The unions have called for a boycott of Saputo products made across Australia, including cheeses from Cheer, Devondale, King Island Dairy, Liddells, Mersey Valley, Sungold and Tasmanian Heritage.
“We’re asking people to not buy those products while the boycott is on,” Munday said.
“Negotiations have been long and drawn out but the workers are absolutely committed.”
The strike has been ongoing for three and a half weeks and is expected to continue until a fair offer is made.
Saputo Dairy Australia operations and supply chain director Gerard Lourey said in June the company has made repeated attempts to schedule bargaining meetings with unions since mid-May.
“Saputo Dairy Australia is continuing to engage with our valued maintenance workers at Burnie and we remain committed to progressing negotiations in good faith,” he said.
“We want to resolve outstanding items with our employees and their representatives in a fair and amicable manner and we are waiting for state unions to come back to the bargaining table.”
