National Union of Workers members at Corvina Foods in Cheltenham stopped work for 4 hours on 5 April. The strike was the first industrial action at the site. The workers are at loggerheads with management over enterprise agreement negotiations. 

Corvina is contracted to manufacture chocolate, muesli bars and other foods for retail brands. The company’s predominantly migrant workforce is paid barely above award wages. Labour-hire is used widely and many workers are hired only as casuals; both of which mean that workers doing the same job can be paid different rates. 

Corvina has made it clear that it isn’t interested in improving conditions. It’s offered an annual pay increase of 1.5 percent only. The company has said that a 2 percent pay offer is conditional on workers agreeing to combine their three breaks per shift into two.

According to an NUW organiser, Ben, the workers are adamantly opposed to this. “Their bodies are aching and they want breaks at regular intervals because they do such physical work”, he said.

Describing the strike Ben said: “Everyone was chanting and singing [during the stop-work]. Whenever management came past they would chant even louder. It was a very exciting mood”. The workers also heard about the union’s campaign to organise farm workers in the area. Some of the workers at the Corvina factory have family working on farms. A message of solidarity was sent in support of the farm workers’ struggle. 

The Corvina workers’ first action is likely only the beginning of the dispute and there could be further strikes in coming weeks. “The workers don’t feel respected”, Ben said. “People are still angry and if they don’t get any movement they want to go out longer.”