Visy workers return to work but planning more industrial action

By Murray Silby

Jan 19, 2023

**Industrial action:** Workers at Visy’s Wheeler St plant in Shepparton after walking off the job on Wednesday. They say they are planning more strike action next week. Photo by Holly Daniel

The union representing workers at a Visy plant in Shepparton says they have returned to work, but are planning more industrial action over pay negotiations.

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Around 40 workers at the Visy plant in Wheeler St walked off the job for 24 hours from 7am on Wednesday, January 18, returning to work at 7am on Thursday.

Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union representative Danny Miller said the action was due to negotiations over a new enterprise bargaining agreement reaching a “stalemate”.

Mr Miller said the company’s offer of an eight per cent increase in pay over three years amounted to a pay cut due to the current rate of inflation.

“Workers went back to work this morning (Thursday),” Mr Miller said.

“There is further industrial action planned for next week. A full day stoppage on Wednesday and Friday. Thursday is a public holiday, of course.”

Mr Miller said the union had not received any indication from the company that it was prepared to increase its offer, but workers were open to further talks before the proposed industrial action next week.

“We’ll keep ourselves available if the company wants to improve their offer between now and then,” he said.

“We’re all disappointed we had to get to this point.”

By Murray Silby

Senior Journalist