[File Photo]

Workers at Yaqara Pastoral Company have taken strike action, claiming the company has failed to provide a cost of living adjustment and improve working conditions for more than two years.

Close to 40 workers are currently on strike, demanding immediate action after repeated pleas for a pay rise since 2024 were allegedly ignored.

Strike representative Charlie Young says employees had been trying to reach an agreement with the company for over two years, with a collective agreement signed last year.

However, he claims the company has failed to comply with key terms of that agreement.

“Last year we were able to sit on that collective agreement, and from all of last year, mostly they have been breaching most of that collective agreement.”

Young says workers are still being paid 2023 wages, which he describes as insufficient to meet the rising cost of living.

He claims that despite years of experience, workers across all departments including security, stockmen, garage staff, drivers and operators are paid a flat rate of five dollars an hour.

He describes the situation as forcing many workers to live hand to mouth.

Young also questioned why the company has not granted a pay rise, pointing to a reported three point nine million dollar dividend payment to the government.

He says while the company has cited low profits as the reason it cannot afford wage increases, the dividend payment has left workers confused.

Workers have also raised concerns about unsafe working conditions, including a lack of proper personal protective equipment and the absence of compensation for injuries sustained on the job.

The Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations says it is actively working to resolve the dispute.

In a statement today, the Ministry confirmed it has met with the National Workers Union and the company and will soon finalise a date for further discussions.

National Workers Union Industrial Relations Officer Satish Chandra says the union stands firmly with the workers and will ensure their rights are protected.

He has condemned what he describes as negligence of workers’ rights and safety, adding that the strike will continue until all concerns are addressed.

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