Inghams strike action: Protestors gather outside Osborne Park chicken facility demanding $1.50/hr pay increase

Workers at Inghams Osborne Park facility have begun a 24-hour strike that is set to disrupt chicken supply chains as union members overwhelmingly voted in favour of industrial action amid wage bargaining talks. It is understood negotiations between Inghams — one of Australia’s biggest chicken suppliers — and staff representatives from the United Workers Union and Australian Manufacturing Workers Union collapsed on Tuesday as unions sought an 18 per cent pay increase over three years. UWU national secretary Tim Kennedy said the pay rise would amount roughly to an extra $1.50 an hour — a 6 per cent-a-year increase to workers’ current wages — and claimed Ingham’s management opted for “obfuscation and intimidation”. “It’s really quite atrocious behaviour when you consider these are the very workers who have contributed to their huge profits by showing up every day — during pandemics, in the middle of the night, on public holidays — doing a less-than-glamorous job to make sure Australians have protein on their plates,” Mr Kennedy said. Inghams workers started camping outside the WA facility at midnight on Friday and are set to continue through to Saturday, calling on the company to increase wages amid the cost of living squeeze. “We have a cost-of-living crisis at the moment, our members are finding they have to work second and third jobs just to get by,” union member Louise Dillon said. “Ingham’s have increased chicken prices already this year, but they’re refusing at the same time to increase workers’ wages.” “There will be supply chain impacts from today. The factory produced 93,000 chickens ... they supply Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, KFC, Chicken Treat, McDonald’s and all the places that you would expect to find chicken.” It is believed the action will have minimal impact on Woolworths outlets while KFC operator Collins Foods did not respond on Tuesday when approached by The West Australian. Ms Dillon said union members planned to continue “rolling stoppages” into next week. “Next week on Tuesday or Monday night we’ll likely be starting industrial action.. There will be continued rolling stoppages,” she said. WA Labor Senator Fatima Payman was at Friday morning’s rally and said workers deserved a “fair pay’s day”. “For the CEO to be cashing in millions of dollars and not agree to pay $1.50 an hour — which is literally nothing in the grand scheme of things — in the cost of living crisis that we’re experiencing right now, I’m sure they can cough up a bit more than what’s on the table,” Senator Payman said. AMWU state secretary Steve McCartney claimed several workers had been “intimated” to work amid fears their visas “could be in jeopardy”. “These guys have been getting used to getting paid low wages and don’t want to push back too hard because of the intimidation,” Mr McCartney said. “When they found out their boss made over $1 million, he gave himself a 9 per cent pay increase — and then gave them a 3 per cent pay increase, that was an absolute slap in the face to them.” Police were on site at the rally as workers waved signs. Workers from Inghams Burton facility in Adelaide are also set to take strike action. Inghams said negotiations in WA were continuing for a new pay agreement. “We are working closely with our customers to minimise any potential interruptions and maintain supply during this time,” she said.