Vegetable processing workers at Simplot’s Tasmanian and NSW plants have voted in favour of industrial action over the company’s pay offer.
The Manufacturing Workers Union said that results of a workplace ballot indicated that 70 percent of respondents were in favour of industrial action as they believed that Simplot’s pay offer would remove conditions for casual workers.
John Short from the Manufacturers Workers Union said that the union doesn’t want to take industrial action and are encouraging Simplot to “sit down and negotiate an agreement”.
"You know, we don't want to take industrial action but obviously now the workers have got the right to," Short told ABC News.
"We'll just talk to our members and say 'you have the right to take it, do you want to take it? When do you want to take it and what type of action do you want to take?' "he said.
"Could be a couple of weeks away…"
Managing director of Simplot, Terry O’Brien said that the pay deal offered to workers is fair, and that industrial action would impact heavily on operations.
“The potential threat of industrial action has come at a time when harvesting is at its peak,” O’Brien told ABC News.
“We believe Simplot has proposed a very fair and reasonable offer for our employees considering the economic climate and industry challenges."