More than 120 winery workers at the Rowland Flat winery in the Barossa – where popular brands Jacob’s Creek and St Hugo are made – have stopped work for four hours today to discuss the future of their jobs.
The Pernod Ricard workers are in the middle of negotiating their next workplace agreement.
This comes just a week after Pernod Ricard announced the sale of its Australian assets – including the Rowland Flat winery – to Accolade Wines.
The United Workers Union says the ambiguity around the impact of the deal on workers has left many feeling uncertain during a cost-of-living crisis.
“Pernod Ricard is trying to use the sale of its Australian businesses to force a short-term, low-wage deal on workers who are in the middle of enterprise bargaining,” UWU national secretary Tim Kennedy says.
He says Bryan Fry, Pernod Ricard’s Australian CEO, visited the Barossa site but left workers with more questions than answers about their futures.
“The multi-million dollar producer recorded a global net profit of $5.6 billion in 2023, while the global CEO pocketed $3.7 million in 2022,” Mr Kennedy says.
“Over the last three years, CPI has gone up almost 16 percent and Pernod Ricard workers’ wages have gone up a mere seven perent – it is clear that inflation has massively outstripped these workers’ wages.
“I’m tasting key notes of corporate greed.
“Profits have been driven by rising prices, yet winery workers haven’t been given a comparable pay rise.
“While the CEO at Pernod Ricard sits on an eye-watering salary, workers are struggling to pay their bills.”
Related content
Accolade to buy Jacob’s Creek and other Pernod assets
Recent Comments