MARCH 5, 2020 – Workers at SPC have been fighting for a decent deal since August 2019, after the new owner tried to strip back their employment conditions, and have been trying to negotiate with their employer ever since.
Workers have been negotiating to keep their existing conditions, with a basic cost of living adjustment. The new owners have been unwilling to accept this, instead attempting to cut over fifty conditions from their EBA.
AMWU National Food Industry Secretary, Jason Hefford, said that "the SPC CEO’s comments calling protected industrial action “selfish and self-serving” a disgraceful attempt to play on current public fears about the Corona Virus at the expense of workers trying to negotiate a fair deal."
Mr Hefford said “the truth of the matter is, we could have been closer to reaching an agreement if SPC had been bargaining in good faith the entire time, rather than ignoring workers' attempts to bargain for their conditions.
“After the workers voted down the proposed agreement in January, SPC refused to negotiate with its workers until this protected action was agreed to."
Claims that union actions will cause the loss of product are purely fear-mongering, with the protected actions consisting of 3 short work stoppages, and a ban on overtime for Monday’s public holiday.
Any loss of product the company is facing is a result of a bad season and not union activity.
Negotiations are set to resume later this month.
Media Contact: Ash Burmeister – 0425 762 493 or [email protected]