Workers commenced an indefinite strike on June 28 at Hussey & Co – a large salad production company supplying packaged salads to four Australian states.

This is the first major horticultural workers strike in Australia for decades, and the most important in the modern period.

The company managed to assemble a small crew of around fifteen scab labourers (most new to the site), but failed to get a single loaded truck to leave on the first day. There were three trucks already on-site before the strike began, but all eventually had to be unloaded.

The now-idle Somerville site has over 60 regular workers and is supplied by six company-owned farms. The company – a major supplier to Coles and Aldi supermarkets as well as other customers across four Australian states and internationally – would already have violated its just-in-time-delivery obligations with these and other customers.

Organised through the United Workers Union (UWU), the Hussey workers – who mostly originate from Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar and other non-English speaking backgrounds – are not a weak group.

They are all directly employed by the company – around half casually and half recognised as permanent. Many of the workers have worked as labour hire and in illegal, below minimum wage situations in the past.

The Hussey workers have already achieved award wages. However, the horticultural workers award – perhaps the worst in Australia – does not pay weekend penalties. It also pays only an insulting 15 percent penalty for night work! Casual level one workers receive just $27.46 seven days a week.

Workers at Hussey and Co work hard, skilfully operating modern equipment – such as optical sorting machinery – and refuse to keep doing so for such low pay.

Their main demands are for a wage increase and clauses ensuring against the return of labour hire in the future – essentially site rates (i.e. paying labour hire the same as direct employees) – making it very expensive if the boss were to try.

A lot is at stake

For over six months, the company has refused to negotiate with the union. If they can be forced to sign an above award agreement, it will be first case of horticultural workers securing above award wages and conditions through the modern enterprise bargaining system.

That would be a significant victory, potentially triggering a wave of unionisation and similar victories for already unionised horticultural workers across the sector.

The pandemic demonstrated very clearly that the agricultural supply chain in Australia is entirely dependent on highly exploited migrant workers, often on insecure, non-permanent visas, illegal low wages and appalling conditions.

The Hussey & Co workers are already strong enough to have defeated that hideous scenario – at least at their own workplace. They are confident and outspoken – including jeering and chanting at the management and owner.

The UWU has been working towards this for years – putting significant resources into organising the badly-abused agricultural supply chain.

There were more than ten union organisers in attendance on the first day of the picket as well as the UWU national secretary Tim Kennedy. Dozens of members of other unions and leftists – including from Red Ant – also attended in support.

Hussey and Co’s capitalist owner – Jeremy Haw – spent most of the morning strutting about helplessly talking with his management posse, his hired security and the police. The police attempted – and failed – to defeat the picket early by claiming that stopping the produce trucks was a traffic offence.

The strike and picket are ongoing with workers prepared to hold out until the company capitulates and negotiates an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA).

The Hussey & Co workers need more public support to ensure the picket is strong enough to defeat whatever escalations the company, police or courts are able to throw at them over the coming days and weeks.

Melbourne and Victorian readers are encouraged to visit the picket line at 9 South Boundary Road East Somerville.

If you would like to visit but require transport please contact: redant.communication@gmail.com

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