At the Teys Australia abattoir in Beenleigh, Queensland, workers have not had a pay rise since November 2011.

Teys is one of the largest meat processors in the country. Its Beenleigh production workforce of some 730 is represented by the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union. With around 90 percent density at the site, AMIEU members have a proud history of maintaining conditions and winning wage increases.

However, a recent secret ballot to push through a company-backed agreement was won by a very slim margin and has angered workers and their union. The AMIEU has lodged an appeal with the Fair Work Commission. The union says that the company got the agreement up through dodgy tactics including allowing foremen (who aren’t covered by the agreement) to vote for it, paying a $1,000 inducement to workers for signing on and threatening to shut down the entire plant if an agreement wasn’t reached.

The dispute began in late 2012, as the old workplace agreement expired and the union began negotiations for a new agreement. Matt Journeaux, AMIEU organiser for the site, explained to Red Flag that one of the main issues for workers was the company’s insistence on moving them to a new time-based pay system. This would allow the company to speed up the “chain”, forcing the workers to process more meat in the same amount of time for the same pay. The old system allowed workers some control over the speed at which they worked.

The company claims that the new agreement and pay system will provide workers with a 3 percent pay increase. The union says that the result will actually be a wage decrease of 2.8 percent, with a productivity increase of 7.5 percent – in other words, more work for less money.

Workers at the site have held two 24-hour stoppages and three four-hour stoppages. They also voted by a show of hands not to put the company agreement to a secret ballot.

Attendance at the picket lines has been strong, and even pouring rain couldn’t dampen the resolve for the second 24-hour stoppage in July, when 160 workers showed up to staff the picket. This action forced the company to give ground, but although the next agreement it put forward was improved, it was still not what the workers were after. When asked what he thought about workers being unable legally to strike outside of the bargaining process, Matt replied, “It’s just bullshit.”

The union has also taken a number of measures to counter the company’s attempt to undermine pay and conditions through other means. For instance, union members have ensured that casual labourers on site receive the same pay and conditions as permanent employees.

The company also employs a number of workers under the 457 visa scheme, mostly from Vietnam and Brazil. The union has welcomed these workers and has employed translators to talk to them and ensure that they too are receiving site pay and conditions. As a result, union coverage amongst the 457 visa workers is 90 percent, a great example of not letting race, colour or creed divide workers. Matt explains that “as far as the AMIEU is concerned the only real division in the world is between capitalists and workers.” 

So to the workers down in Beenleigh – Chiến thắng trong cuộc đấu tranh của bạn! A vitória na sua luta! Victory in your struggle!