Crush Delayed By Ongoing Pay Dispute As New Proposal To Be Put To Workers

The 2024 sugar production season will be delayed after a meeting with the Fair Work Commission on Tuesday, May 28 was unable to resolve an ongoing pay dispute between Wilmar Sugar and Renewables and its employees and union representatives.
A Wilmar Sugar and Renewables spokesperson confirmed the company is in the process of notifying growers of revised start dates, which, across Wilmar’s four regions, represent total delays ranging from two to nine days.
“Industrial action has already impacted our 2024 sugar production season, with work stoppages over the past two weeks forcing us to further delay the start of production at a number of our factories,” the spokesperson said.
“These start dates may push back even further if planned industrial action proceeds.”
Following Tuesday’s meeting, Wilmar Sugar and Renewables informed the Fair Work Commission that it would put a fresh proposal directly to employees covered by the enterprise agreement in a ballot planned for Monday, June 10.
Wilmar outlined a new EA package that included a $1,500 sign-on bonus (inclusive of superannuation), permanent jobs offers to 50 fixed-term and seasonal employees, and a $20 a week allowance for employees utilising an electrical licence.
The Commission is expected to report back on the outcome of the ballot and any other developments on Friday, June 21.
A similar offer was taken to ballot in December last year, which was comprehensively rejected by workers, with Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) Northern District Secretary Jim Wilson calling the new offer “a slap in the face to every worker”.
“We will be voting down this deal once again and Wilmar will be back at square one, having angered the workers and cane growers and harmed their own profits,” he said.
“If this deal is voted down by workers, which it will be, the shareholders and executives of this company need to take action on the management of these mills.”
The ballot comes after what Mr Wilson described as an attempt to find a middle ground with Wilmar as workers put forward an ask of an 18% pay rise over three years – a 7% reduction from workers’ original ask of 25%.
“We did that in an attempt to get this resolved and not cause delays to the crush, but Wilmar weren’t interested, they’re just putting out the same agreement,” Mr Wilson said.
“We’ve moved down to significantly less than where we started, and where we started didn’t take us above what others are paying in the sugar industry, it took us to around the top.
“We are not asking for the world in terms of a pay rise, we just want our members to be compensated fairly for the work they do at a time where Wilmar is making record profits.
“This is a battle for our entire industry, and we aren’t giving in.”
Mr Wilson confirmed that industrial action will continue as of yesterday, Wednesday May 29 in the form of rolling stoppages and work bans across all mills, while the AWU, alongside the Electrical Trades Union and Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union, will run a ‘no’ campaign similar to the one run in December.
The industrial action that workers have voted for includes strike action of one hour, two hours, four hours, eight hours, 12 hours and 48 hours.
It also includes (but is not limited to) work bans on performing overtime, call outs and working with contractors.
“Union representatives would not agree to a request to suspend planned industrial action while the ballot was being conducted and employees were considering the new offer,” the Wilmar spokesperson said.
“We were notified this week of a raft of new work bans and stoppages planned at our sites through to, and including, 3 June.”
“We have written to employees confirming that they will not be paid for periods when they are on strike, or where partial work bans mean they do not perform their full work duties.
“We are grateful to employees who continue to work on completion of essential works ahead of the start of production.”

Growers have been informed of delays to the sugar production season

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Revised Crush Start Dates As Of May 28
   • Invicta Mill – 11 June (total delay so far = 7 days)
   • Pioneer Mill – 10 June (total delay so far = 6 days)
   • Kalamia Mill – 10 June (total delay so far = 6 days)
   • Inkerman Mill – 6 June (total delay so far = 2 days)

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