Jacob’s Creek and St Hugo winery workers to strike again as they continue to fight for better employment conditions

Workers from iconic SA wine brands will stop work for 24 hours as part of an ongoing fight for job security and a pay rise.

Workers at a Barossa winery, where iconic brands Jacob’s Creek and St Hugo are produced, will stop work for 24 hours as part of an ongoing fight for job security and a pay rise.

A second strike, this time for 24-hour on Tuesday, was announced after a four-hour strike on Wednesday afternoon did not result in a deal with French wine and spirits giant Pernod Ricard.

Workers are seeking a three-year agreement with a 21 per cent pay rise across the span of it. United Workers union organiser Tasha Linke said the percentage of the pay increase was up for negotiation.

Pernod Ricard has offered workers a 12-month agreement with a four per cent pay rise for the period, as well as a one-off cost of living crisis payment.

The industrial action comes after Pernod Ricard made the decision to sell its global wine division, which includes labels Jacob’s Creek and St Hugo, to Australian Wine Holdco Limited.

Ms Linke said the move created uncertainty for workers at a time when they were negotiating their next workplace agreement.

She added they worried the sale would be used to push them onto a short-term and low-wage deal.

More than 120 winery workers in the Barossa held a strike on Wednesday, 24 July 2024, over working conditions. Picture: Supplied

A Pernod Ricard Winemakers spokesperson said Tuesday’s strike will not affect production and will have no material impact the business.

Ms Linke said there was high union membership at the worksite and while consumers won’t be affected in the short term “if there’s ongoing action it’s certainly going to start having bigger impacts”.

“Members are prepared to keep fighting,” she said.

Figures cited by the union, show the producer has made a global net profit of $5.6 billion in 2023. Meanwhile, workers’ wages have only gone up 7 per cent over the past three years. During the same time, CPI had grown by nearly 16 per cent.

Speaking anonymously, one worker said over the past year they “have felt the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis”. 

“Worrying about whether or not I can afford to pay my mortgage, meanwhile we don’t know what the sale will mean for our future,” they said.

The worker said they wanted the company “to look after us and secure our jobs for the future.”

In a statement on Wednesday, a Pernod Ricard spokesperson said “we truly believe that we have provided a fair and reasonable offer to our employees and are disappointed that we have been unable to reach an agreement at this stage”.