Around 50 food manufacturing workers have begun an indefinite strike on Monday at the Pampas Pastry Factory in Victoria. The workers have chosen to strike after rejecting a pay increase of 4% per annum.

The UWU (United Workers Union), responsible for negotiating a new deal have called for “about $1.60 per hour”, around 6 percent per annum, which UWU organiser Andy Giles described as “a fair pay rise that recognises rising cost of living”. However, the World Socialist Web Site reports that striking workers, who currently earn $27.61 per hour, are demanding an increase of around 8% per annum. 

A further reason cited for the strike includes the use of third-party labour hire workers in the factory. The striking workers believe that 15 people who are engaged as casuals by third party labour-hire firms should be offered permanent jobs, with many having been employed on a casual basis in the same roles for 20 years. Under current enterprise agreements these labour-hire workers are not allowed to take part in the strike.

This strike follows previous industrial action by UWU workers. This includes the Smeaton Grange Coles supermarket warehouse in southwest Sydney, in which 350 workers were locked out by management for 14 weeks after voting for a one-day strike, and the Rooty Hill General Mills food manufacturing facility in Western Sydney, where around 80 workers went on strike for three weeks in mid-2021 to push through a pay increase of 3%.