Brand boycott: Dairy workers call for strike supporters to vote with their dollar

Fed-up Tasmanian dairy workers have called on supporters to “vote with their dollar” and boycott popular brands as their feud for equal pay continues. The latest.

Fed-up Tasmanian dairy workers have called on strike supporters to “vote with their dollar” and boycott popular brands such as Devondale, Cheer, and Mersey Valley as the dispute for pay parity continues.

Fed-up Tasmanian dairy workers have called on strike supporters to “vote with their dollar” and boycott popular brands such as Devondale, Cheer, and Mersey Valley as the dispute for pay parity continues.

Maintenance workers at the Saputo Dairy Burnie site have been on strike fighting for equitable rates of pay and mainland wages since May, with workers on sister sites in Victoria earning 21 per cent more than their colleagues on the North-West.

Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union state secretary Michael Anderson said he encouraged Tasmanians to show their support for striking workers by voting with their dollar.

“Unions have a long and successful history of using consumer power to bring about change. Saputo Dairy, unfortunately, is another example of a brand that has failed to do right by Tasmanian workers,” Mr Anderson pointed out.

“So we encourage union supporters to think about boycotting for a little while until such time that the business decides to pay them a fair wage in line with what they do in other states.

“Until then, Saputo Dairy can expect their decision will hurt their bottom dollar.”

Brands produced at the Burnie facility include South Cape specialty cheeses, Sungold milk; King Island Dairy specialty cheeses including blues, cheddars, and soft cheeses; Liddells lactose-free dairy products; Tasmanian Heritage soft specialty cheeses;

Saputo Dairy Australia Burnie factory workers walking off the site as a guard of honour is formed by union members. Picture: Simon McGuire.

Mersey Valley cheddar cheeses; Mil Lel parmesan cheeses and baking cheeses; Cheer cheddar cheeses; Cracker Barrel cheddar cheeses; Devondale milk, butters and spreads, cheeses, and cream; and Great Ocean Road milk, cheddar cheeses, and flavoured milk.

Mr Anderson said it was evident that the local community was supportive of striking maintenance workers, as Saputo Dairy was forced to fly in workers from Germany.

“The fact that they’re going to Germany shows that they’re tripling down on their anti-Tasmanian stance, but it also shows that the North-West communities are behind the workers because if they could find supplementary labour or ‘scabs’ closer to home, that would be much cheaper and easier, and they evidently haven’t,” Mr Anderson said.

In a statement made on Sunday, Saputo Dairy Australia operations and supply chain director Gerard Lourey said the company had made multiple requests since mid-May to schedule a bargaining meeting with state unions.

“Saputo Dairy Australia is continuing to engage with our valued maintenance workers at Burnie and we remain committed to progressing negotiations in good faith,” Mr Lourey said.

“We want to resolve outstanding items with our employees and their representatives in a fair and amicable manner, and we are waiting for state unions to come back to the bargaining table.”

Originally published as Brand boycott: Dairy workers call for strike supporters to vote with their dollar