The lockout of workers at the Swift meatworks in Brooklyn, Victoria, has entered its second month, after NUW members again voted to reject the company’s 2% annual pay offer. One hundred and forty cold storage workers at Swift Australia, Brooklyn had agreed to taking industrial action on December 3rd last year, following a wage offer they described as ‘well below the cost of living.’ “This pay offer will send workers and their families backwards at a time when workers are facing... ...Read more »

The industrial action at Heinz’s flagship UK production site could rumble on into next week with staff planning another 24-hour strike tomorrow (21 December). Jennie Formby, national officer for the Unite union, told just-food today that another stoppage was being lined up to take place at the Kitt Green plant from 06:00 on Tuesday until 06:00 on Wednesday. Workers at the plant in north-west England have already held one 24-hour strike this week after rejecting what they labelled a “below-inflation”... ...Read more »

Woolworths employees from the Broadmeadows distribution warehouse in Melbourne are meeting to consider the company’s latest pay offer, after a conditional pay offer prompted a strike last Friday. The National Union of Workers said that the previous 3% pay rise offered to its Broadmeadows employees by the company required them to give up basic rights and conditions. “Woolworths is demanding workers give up entitlements such as penalty rates, shift loadings and breaks, and is stripping away... ...Read more »

Production at McCain Foods’ manufacturing site in Victoria has returned to normal after staff at the plant were ordered to abandon their strike action by Fair Work Australia. Fair Work Australia requested that workers at McCain’s Victoria plant quit their strike action earlier this week. The workers, represented by Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU), went on strike over a disagreement with the company on how the food maker arranges time off. The union and company had... ...Read more »

McCain Foods has hit out at yesterday’s (13 April) strike action at a manufacturing site in Victoria.The chip maker said it had been in talks with local union representatives since December over how the company arranges days off. “We have been in discussions with the union since December on rostered days off and are surprised that the union have taken this illegal action as opposed to continuing discussions or seeking assistance from Fair Work Australia,” McCain’s local operations... ...Read more »

The world’s largest brewer has finally managed to reach a deal with unions that will stop the blockades at their Belgian plants after two weeks of production cuts. Supplies of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s local brands have steadily fallen as unions in Belgium organised blockades at three plants in response to plans for a ten per cent reduction in the workforce. After two failed mediation attempts, the two sides reached an agreement on Thursday night that will end the strike action. The deal... ...Read more »

After two weeks, blockades continue at the Belgian breweries of the world’s largest brewer – with still no agreement in sight. Two hundred and sixty-three jobs were cut from Anheuser-Busch InBev’s 2,700 Belgian employees a fortnight ago, sparking anger with workers blocking entrances to two of the company’s Belgian plants in Leuven and Liege. Tuesday’s talks were already the second attempt for mediation and again have ended with no results. Union officials have called... ...Read more »

A compromise has been reached between food manufacturer Campbell’s Soup and workers at their factory in Shepparton. Work at the factory in Victoria came to a halt last Friday when employees launched industrial action due to a breakdown in negotiations over new workplace agreements. Employees had since been locked out and not paid since Friday night, but an agreement has now reportedly been reached. Campbell’s said the agreement regarding a draft flexibility clause to be included in the... ...Read more »

The Campbell’s Soup factory in Shepparton has come to a halt today as employees of the company launched industrial action. The ABC reports that around 150 maintenance and production staff have gone on strike for a period of 24 hours as negotiations for a new enterprise bargaining agreement continue. Damian King from the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union said that negotiations have fallen down in response to flexibility arrangements. “We’ve had protracted negotiations, we still... ...Read more »

The planned two-week national truck stoppage, which began at midnight, has already led to panic amongst some consumers but appears unlikely to lead to major food supply shortages. Mick Pattell, a spokesman from the National Road Transport Forum – one of the organisers of the shutdown, hopes the public gets behind truck drivers and is keen for government action. “Hopefully the government will come to the table fairly quickly and not allow this to happen to the public,” he said, according... ...Read more »