CANEGROWERS has welcomed the Fair Work Commission’s order to suspend industrial action at Wilmar sugar mills for a period of six weeks, with Chairman Owen Menkens calling on all parties to use the time to find a permanent resolution to the ongoing pay dispute.
“The Commission’s ruling will come as a huge relief to growers, many of whom have already been significantly impacted by this dispute,” Mr Menkens said.
“It offers some certainty around crushing, at least until mid-August, so we can get on with the harvest while the milling company and unions continue to negotiate a fair resolution.”
Uncertainty created by the ongoing dispute has caused great anxiety within the growing community, Mr Menkens said.
“CANEGROWERS has been working with the affected districts to ensure grower concerns are addressed and to calculate the cost of ongoing disruptions to the crush.
“While we are not a party to the dispute, and we are fully aware that the unions have appealed the suspension order, we will continue to work directly with the mill and unions to encourage a satisfactory resolution to the situation.
“This dispute has dragged on for months and has already cost the industry a great deal due to stalling and delaying the crush across Wilmar districts, not to mention the stress it has caused to growers.
“We continue to support the rights of workers and employers to negotiate fair enterprise agreements, but as this dispute drags into the cane crushing season proper, there is a clear risk that growers’ livelihoods are being used as a bargaining chip by both sides.
“The mill and unions are locked in a game of chicken, hurtling towards a mid-season collision and hoping the other side blinks. Cane farming families may well be the unintended casualties.
“The parties need to take any and all steps necessary to ensure there are no more disruptions to this year’s cane crush.
“We understand the unions have a right to stand up for their members, and at the same time we need financially viable mills, but no one in the industry is well served by constant threats of stoppages. We need both parties to resolve the dispute now.”
