Australian Workers at Pfizer Plant Strike over Wage Dispute

Workers gather during a Pfizer worker rally outside the gates at Pfizer in Melbourne, Australia, on Nov. 3, 2022. AAP Image/Con Chronis

Workers at a Pfizer manufacturing plant in Australia have gone on strike after they disagreed with the global pharmaceutical giant’s wage offer.

On the night of Nov. 2, dozens of United Workers Union (UWU) members who worked at Pfizer’s manufacturing plant in southeast Melbourne walked off the job in 24-hour industrial action to protest the company’s wage proposal, which the union considered unacceptable.

The workers later gathered at the manufacturing plant on the afternoon of Nov. 3 and called on U.S. company to approve a 17 percent wage increase over a three-year period.

However, the UWU alleged that Pfizer, which posted a record US$25 billion ($39 billion) profit in 2021, offered a much lower total wage rise of 10 percent: a three percent increase in the first year of the agreement, four percent in the second year, and three percent in the final year.

“We know Pfizer can afford more than a miserly three percent pay increase; they have made that clear with the yearly sweeteners on offer," United Workers Union National Secretary Tim Kennedy said in media release.

“Pfizer bosses need to stop with the money-grubbing and game playing and return with a fair offer for the loyal workers, many of whom have worked at the plant for upwards of 20 years.”

Additionally, the union alleged that while Pfizer also offered cash sweeteners, they had “recently conducted a round of 10 redundancies, including two forced,” and were also seeking to drastically alter workers’ shift times and were trying to remove the fortnightly rostered day off (RDO) for new starters and tying it to the wage offer.

However, according to the current Pfizer Enterprise Agreement (EA), staff are not eligible for bonuses.

Further, staff under the new EA that is being negotiated are being offered payment in the form of a flexibility buy-out. But in the event a staff member under the new EA resigned or was dismissed due to performance or serious misconduct, under the new agreement they would be subject to a pro-rated 12-month pay-back clause.

A nurse administers the Pfizer vaccine to a client at the St Vincent's Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic in Sydney, Australia on July 01, 2021 Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

The union also noted that its members wanted a wage lift closer to the current annual inflation rate and would consider Pfizer’s offer if the company included the bonuses in annual increases.

A UWU spokeswoman said in comments obtained by AAP that the union was considering a lawsuit, but the idea had not yet been agreed upon.

Union Says Pfizer’s Wage Proposal is Insulting

Kennedy described Pfizer’s wage proposal as an “insulting offer” that essentially amounted to a pay cut while pointing to the huge profit made by the company.

“Workers at Pfizer have not made the decision to take strike action lightly. They know that without a day’s wage, things will be tight next week,” he said in a statement.

“Figures released last week showed inflation soaring well above seven percent in Melbourne. For the striking workers, the increased cost of rent, the interest rate hikes and the grocery bill, it’s really starting to bite.”

The secretary also called on the pharmaceutical company’s management to stop playing games and come back with a fairer offer for the workers, many of whom have been working at the manufacturing plant for 20 years.

Pfizer’s Response to the Strike

Meanwhile, a Pfizer spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email that the company was made aware of the strike on Nov. 2 and that it was in active negotiation with the pharmaceutical operators on the enterprise agreement (EA) that expired earlier in March 2022.

“Pfizer is working closely with the union to agree on an EA that works for all employees, which offers fair and reasonable terms for wages and allowances, and addresses the increased cost of living from a rise in inflation,” the spokesperson said.

The pharmaceutical giant also noted that it had provided substantial support for manufacturing workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and that their wages were generally higher than those of workers in the same industry.

“Over the last three years (2020, 2021 and 2022) during the pandemic, Pfizer has provided significant support to manufacturing colleagues, including an essential worker’s bonus and medical leave for COVID-19,” the spokesperson said.

“It is important to note that wages for the company’s Melbourne manufacturing employees are between 18 percent and 30 percent higher than the market median.”

The strike at Pfizer’s Melbourne manufacturing plant came following an industrial action at another facility of the company in Perth in August over a similar wage dispute, where workers demanded an 18 percent wage raise.