Grain handlers across the state are demanding better wages. Photo: GrainCorp.
As Riverina farmers prepare for the upcoming harvest, grain handlers have voted to stop work to demand fair pay.
More than 200 GrainCorp workers across NSW will begin a month of random one-hour stoppages at grain handling sites throughout the state, from Tuesday 29 October.
“Grain handlers are fighting for a better wage increase than what the company is currently preparing to offer,” Australian Workers Union (AWU) NSW Secretary Tony Callinan told Region.
“Grain handlers have voted in favour of taking industrial action to fight for a fair go.
“This situation has been building for months, and GrainCorp has avoided the tough discussions.
“Now, as harvest time approaches, the window for talks is fast closing. Unless GrainCorp steps up, workers will send a strong message by simply stopping work while trucks line up to unload.”
The AWU claims that despite grain handlers receiving annual pay increases between 2021 and 2023, inflation rates of 2.86 per cent, 6.59 per cent, and 4.10 per cent during those years have led to a 7.5 per cent decline in real wages.
In 2021, GrainCorp made a profit of $139 million, followed by $177 million in 2022, and $250 million in 2023.
The Fair Work Commission approved a ‘protected industrial action ballot’ for GrainCorp workers after negotiations with management broke down. On 22 October, the majority of AWU members at GrainCorp voted to commence industrial action.
“If GrainCorp management doesn’t come to the table with a decent offer, AWU members will have no choice but to stop work,” the union said in a statement.
“Protected industrial action could include stoppages of one, two, three, or four hours, indefinite stoppages, and bans on loading and unloading trucks and trains.”
Grain handlers are responsible for moving and storing wheat, canola, barley, oats, and other grains. Freshly harvested crops are trucked from rural properties to bunker silos for storage, before being loaded onto trains for transport to the coast and shipment to overseas markets.
Harvesting of winter crops has already begun in parts of western NSW and will increase in the coming weeks.
“Our members have been working hard, taking delivery of bumper harvests and delivering big profits, yet GrainCorp keeps kicking them in the guts,” Mr Callinan said.
“This has been another strong year in most areas of NSW. With the grain harvest beginning, our members are ready to put in the long hours to safely store the grain. But they also want a fair wage rise and are prepared to fight for it.
“Every extra dollar our members earn is spent in the local communities and country towns where they live. Their real wages have gone backwards in the last three years, and it’s time GrainCorp shared some of their huge profits with the workforce — and the regional communities that supply the grain they profit from.
“Our members in NSW do the same work as those in Queensland and only want to be paid equally. That’s the heart of the issue,” Mr Callinan said.
Region contacted GrainCorp for comment but received no response.
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