Wilmar Sugar and Renewables welcomes end to strikes after vote for enterprise agreement

The costly sugar strikes are over, Wilmar Sugar and Renewables and Australian Workers Union said on Friday.

Wilmar Sugar and Renewables Invicta Mill in the Burdekin. Picture: Supplied

The costly sugar strikes are over, Wilmar Sugar and Renewables and Australian Workers Union said on Friday.

The company, which operates eight sugar mills predominantly in North Queensland said its employees had voted over two days in favour of a new enterprise agreement offering an upfront $2,500 bonus and 16 per cent in wage rises.

“Fifty-five per cent of eligible employees who participated in the ballot voted in favour of the company’s three-year offer,” a spokesman said.

“The majority yes vote means more than 1,320 employees will receive the bonus and a 12 per cent increase in pay by Christmas, with a further 4 per cent increase next December.”

Wilmar said the positive ballot result “brings to a close a challenging and long-running negotiation and associated disruptive industrial action”.

“We thank everybody who participated in the ballot, particularly those who voted to accept the company offer,” the spokesman said.

“It draws a line under a period that impacted not only our business and our people, but the growers and harvesting operators who are so critical to the sugar supply chain.”

Wilmar Sugar and Renewables Invicta Mill in the Burdekin. Picture: Supplied

Wilmar said it was now focused on the ongoing harvest and “producing high-quality sugar for customers in domestic and export markets.”

Wilmar’s eight factories have processed about 6.3 million tons of sugarcane, representing about 40 per cent of the estimated crop.

Australian Workers Union Northern District Secretary Jim Wilson confirmed that the agreement had been voted up.

“Whilst this outcome doesn’t give our members everything they were seeking, this is a huge victory for the sugar communities against one of the least ethical multinational companies on earth,” he said.

“The whole community has supported our members as the fought for more than 18 months to stop Wilmar’s greed and arrogance killing this industry and the community around it.”

Mr Wilson said Wilmar could have made the offer on December 1 last year, saving “untold harm to the cane growers, and significant damage to Wilmar’s standing in these towns.”

“We know the sugar communities will remember that it was members of the AWU, the ETU and the AMWU who stood up and fought back to save the industry in the Burdekin, Herbert, Proserpine and Plane Creek regions.”

Canegrowers Chairman Owen Menkens has urged Queensland’s sugarcane industry to pull together, following the resolution of the long-running pay dispute between Wilmar Sugar and three unions representing mill workers. Picture: Supplied

Owen Menkens, chairman of the peak industry body Canegrowers, welcome the resolution and said it was now time for “Queensland’s sugarcane industry to pull together”.

“It has dragged on for far too long, has delayed cane crushing across half of the industry, and caused great anxiety to growers and harvesting contractors, so to see an agreement finally in place is a tremendous relief,” he said.

“Now it’s time to put it behind us, and for the entire industry to come together, support our mill workers and our contractors, and put our shoulders to the wheel so we can make the 2024 season a success.

“Let’s crush it between now and December.”

Originally published as Wilmar Sugar and Renewables welcomes end to strikes after vote for enterprise agreement