Burnie Saputo workers secure Parliament's support amid pay parity dispute

MAINTENANCE workers from Saputo’s Burnie site secured the House of Assembly's unanimous support for equal pay after bringing their campaign to the assembly this morning.

Around 100 people rallied on Parliament lawns as part of the ongoing nine-week strike against Saputo.

Workers at Saputo Dairy’s north-west site went on strike in June to fight for pay parity with their mainland counterparts who are paid 23.5% more.

In debate on a motion brought forward by Greens member for Clark Helen Burnett, Independent Member for Franklin David O’Byrne underscored the gravity of the situation. 

“Our role is to say to corporates in Tasmania, do not treat Tasmanian workers second rate,” Mr O’Byrne said.

“Do not trade on our fresh air, trade on our providence, trade on our brand but rubbish our workers when they demand fair and equal pay.” 

Protesters at the rally continued to push the nationwide boycott of notable dairy brands such as Devondale, Cracker Barrel, King Island Dairy, Mersey Valley, and Tasmanian Heritage, which include ingredients manufactured by the dairy processor.

The issue of potential impacts on Tasmanian dairy producers who supply milk to Saputo did not concern the unions, who remained focused on their primary objective of achieving fair pay.

“The thing to remember is that farmers don’t like Saputo, they just supply the milk, and they’ve dropped their milk price by 15 per cent so the question whether farmers are happy is a question for Saputo,” CEPU State Secretary Michael Anderson said.

“How Saputo manage their supply chains is their issue,” he said.

Maintenance worker from Saputo Burnie Zac Smith, who has worked for Saputo for 34 years, said he never expected the strike to go on for so long and hopes that Saputo have paid attention to their protests and what they’ve been doing.

“I don’t think they could ignore today; I think they’ll be looking at this very closely,” Mr Smith said.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) secretary Jacob Batt said the unanimous support from the House of Assembly marked a pivotal moment in the ongoing dispute.

He praised the Parliament’s advocacy for the fair treatment of Tasmanian workers.

“There are a lot of people looking at this fight and looking for the outcome of this dispute because this is an issue that concerns all Tasmanians,” he said.

“There is a mainland wage gap that has been going on for decades, it is no longer cheaper to live in Tasmania, so stop paying us less.”