On June 28 unionised horticultural workers blocked the gates of Hussey & Co, which is based in Somerville on Melbourne’s south-eastern fringe for an indefinite strike. However, by midnight of the first day, they had already won the dispute.

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

Hussey is a large salad production company supplying packaged salads to supermarkets and other customers across four Australian states. It failed to get a truck through the picket line before capitulating on the first day – after six months of refusing to negotiate.

The threat of a good example

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. This is a key division within the Australian working class that weakens the working class movement.

The Hussey workers mostly originate from Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Afghanistan and other non-English speaking backgrounds. Their union organiser (from the United Workers Union – UWU) is a former agricultural worker from a Malaysian background.

It is the first case of horticultural workers securing above award wages and conditions through the modern enterprise bargaining system. It may be the first time in this century any boss in the sector has been forced to recognise the workers unionisation by signing an agreement with them. 

The resounding victory may trigger a wave of union advances in the sector. On the one hand, other already unionised workplaces could force bosses to recognise them and sign agreements as happened at Hussey.

On the other, the example may encourage more workers to join unions on sites that are not yet unionised or that are, so far, only weakly unionised.

The arrogant Hussey management posse copped plenty of flak from workers during the strike. They will now be forced to be more respectful on the job because the workers are strengthened by the victory.

A statement by the United Workers Union says the company agreed to:

• Sunday at 200% for all workers, including casual workers (a huge win in the farm sector)
• Weekly overtime pay for Casuals (not averaged over 8 weeks)
• Union rights and protections
• Same job, same pay protections for labour hire workers (site rates).
• Guaranteed consultation on any new labour hire providers prior to their engagement.
• Immediate 6.5% wage increase for all workers, including workers on rates already higher than the Award, and salaried workers.
• Wage increases equivalent to the Fair Work mandated increases plus 1% for the following year of the Agreement for all workers.

Preparing themselves for a long a difficult struggle the Hussey workers used Indonesian for their slogan: “Mogok (strike) till we win!” No-one expected it to be so short and sweet.