About

‘Down down! Coles’ is a community campaign to support the striking workers at Baiada Poultry in Melbourne’s West.

These chicken workers, members of the National Union of Workers (NUW), are on strike for decent pay, safe working conditions and common respect.

Baiada is notorious for using sham contracting, cash paid workers, casualisation and piece rates in order to undermine the job security of workers.  Some workers have been earning as little as $10/hr.

In August last year at Baiada, Sarel Singh, 34, was instructed to clean a machine that was still operating. He was sucked into the machine and decapitated. Workers and the NUW are demanding an end to unethical and unlawful employment practices in the poultry industry. The bullying and intimidation must stop. The abuses of the animals must stop.

Coles sources 80% of its chicken from Baiada. They are responsible for the conduct of their major suppliers. Coles is breaking its own supplier code in continuing to deal with Baiada (making millions of dollars in the process!). Coles needs to tell Baiada to respect their workers.

This is a community-lead campaign, not affiliated with the NUW.  Baiada’s lawyers took the NUW to the Victorian Supreme Court where they were served an injunction preventing them from supporting the Baiada worker’s picket. With both the courts and the police coming down on the side of Baiada management, it’s up to the community to defend the interests of the workers.

These workers need your support!