A dispute over industrial reform is causing concern to employees and managers at Cargill Australia.
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The company says it needs greater efficiency of operations if it to keep production rolling at its abattoir in Wagga Wagga in southern New South Wales. The company is in the process of negotiating a new enterprise agreement with the 400 workers at Wagga Wagga, but unions are accusing the group of using that as an excuse to close the plant.
Speaking on behalf of Cargill, Lloyd George referred to the tough market, saying that the group was in no position to guarantee the abattoir’s future: “We had issues like the BSE, which has reduced demand for export beef, just general competitive issues in the beef industry in Australia, where we’ve seen plants shut down and so forth. I mean we’re certainly not immune from that, and there’s a need if we’re going to be sustainable in Wagga that we have to have an efficient business up there.”
Cargill is not the only meatworks operator struggling with industrial reform at the moment. Doors remain closed at the Rockhampton plant of Kerry Packer’s Consolidated Meat Group while the Industrial Relations Committee reaches a ruling.
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