The Fair Food campaign is being run and led by workers in the fresh food supply chain who are members of the National Union of Workers (NUW).

Thousands of workers in warehouses that supply to the major supermarkets are long-time members of the NUW. As a result, it is common practice that workers in this section of the supply chain have access to safe workplaces, living wages and decent conditions.

Unfortunately this is not what we are seeing at large numbers of workplaces where workers are producing the fruit and vegetables that are transported through the supply chain to Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and IGA Metcash.

The NUW is frequently confronted with small contractors who underpay, intimidate and steal from produce workers. At other very large facilities workers remain on the minimum wage without any chance to have a say about their pay and conditions, while the corporations they work directly for turn over millions every year and have a massive share in the market.

Workers are standing up and declaring things need to change. Workers in regional communities should have the right to decent jobs. From the glasshouse and packing shed, to the warehouses and cold stores and into the supermarkets, workers are organising for secure jobs to support their families and participate in their communities.

Up against the might and economic power of the two major supermarkets, many workers and producers understand that cooperation and support must underpin a new conversation about what is sustainable and what is fair.

Find out more about the Fair Food campaign for workers at http://www.fairfoodaustralia.org

Published On: 13 June, 2016Categories: Advocacy, Solidarity Economy, Workers' Rights