Workers vote on grain strike
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A potential GrainCorp worker strike may disrupt NSW’s bumper harvest season.
Staff at GrainCorp facilities across New South Wales are preparing to vote on whether to initiate industrial action after negotiations over wages broke down, according to the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU).
Around 200 workers, who handle wheat, canola, barley, and other grains, may refuse to load or unload grain trucks and trains if the situation escalates.
An application for a ‘protected action ballot’ has been approved by the Fair Work Commission (FWC). The vote, set to close on 23 October, will determine whether the workers will proceed with legally sanctioned industrial action.
GrainCorp's employees have seen their wages lag behind inflation over the last three years.
The grain handlers received only a 2 per cent wage increase annually between 2021 and 2023, despite inflation rates of 2.86 per cent, 6.59 per cent, and 4.10 per cent, respectively. This has resulted in a 7.5 per cent reduction in real wages.
Meanwhile, the company reported significant profits during this period - $139 million in 2021, $177 million in 2022, and $250 million in 2023.
AWU NSW Secretary Tony Callinan accused GrainCorp of not negotiating in good faith, stating that the workers “have had a gutful”.
He described the company's approach to negotiations as dismissive, noting that when the union raised concerns about inflation, GrainCorp's management suggested workers could earn more through overtime. However, they later removed the option of overtime altogether.
“GrainCorp management are just grubs,” Mr Callinan claims, adding that while top executives were seeing raises as high as $25,000 annually, many workers were left struggling.
“Our members have been bringing in bumper harvests, delivering big profits, and GrainCorp just kicks them in the guts every time.”
Callinan also highlighted the wage disparity between NSW and Queensland workers, arguing that NSW employees should receive the same pay as their counterparts in Queensland for the same work.
The union has indicated that if no agreement is reached, the workers may strike during the upcoming harvest season, which could severely impact operations.
GrainCorp has partly responded to the AWU’s claims, stating that they have engaged in good faith negotiations with their employees, holding ten meetings over the past six months.
The two sides are scheduled to attend a compulsory conciliation conference on 18 October to resolve the dispute before any strikes occur.
The potential industrial action, however, could cause significant disruptions, as NSW is expected to have one of its most productive winter crop harvests in years, with the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (Abares) forecasting a 50 per cent increase in production compared to the previous year.
The broader grain industry is said to be watching the situation closely.