Lactalis workers in Australia fight for their jobs and their community

Members of IUF affiliates UWU and AMWU at Lactalis in Bendigo, Australia have been on strike since November 5 in a fight for better pay and a future for the dairy factory in their community.

French based Lactalis, soon to overtake Nestlé as the world's largest dairy company, has regularly threatened to close the factory in response to demands for wage parity with other Lactalis workers in Australia.  
The unions have a response to Lactalis threats. If Lactalis does walk away from the site, IUF affiliates want a guarantee the facility will be sold rather than shut down permanently.

"We want a commitment for our town", said UWU workplace leader David Bish, who has worked at the site for 10 years.

"If they do shut us down, we want to know they will let this site live again if another dairy company wants to take it on," Mr Bish said. "There are generations of families that have worked at this site, raised families, contributed to this town. There are farmers that rely on this site to get their milk processed. If Lactalis wants to walk away from that, fine - but don't ruin our future in the process. That's the commitment we are seeking."

Spanish affiliates waged a similar campaign over the closure of the Lactalis site in Valladolid in 2016