Talley’s-owned Open Country Cheese was caught pouring sludge from its factory in Waharoa directly into the Waitoa River this morning because it insists on using scab labour to keep production going instead of paying standard industry wages and giving some job security to its staff.
The use of untrained staff during this dispute has now polluted the river and we’ll all have to pay through our rates in the Waikato to have it cleaned up.
Apparently, sludge which is normally collected by trucks and spread on farms, has poured into the river instead.
That river runs down the back of the dairy farm I was brought up on. I just hope the environmental damage is reversible.
I certainly know that OCCs harsh stance against its staff can be reversed, so I’ll be heading over to join the picket line tomorrow.
Now OCC has proven to be irresponsible on two fronts – firstly they undermine the industry with sub-standard wages and conditions and now they think they can pollute the waterways.
That’s a disgrace.
Interesting that you know the outcome of the Enviro Waikato investigation already. The spokesman for EW just said on the radio that the investigation will be started once the spill has been contained.
A soothsayer you are. Any chance of the lotto numbers for tonight? I’ll share
Also, obviously no chance that a rogue disgruntled locked out worker has taken it upon themselves to try a bit of sabotage?
Na, of course not. What was I thinking?
Ahhh well…..right…..carry on then.
Jeeez now I’m in moderation hope you can get those lotto numbers to me by 6.55pm tonight.
has it been suggested that John Key is also have an interest in OCC??
Thanks for the info – hope it puts the heat on OCC to settle with their union workforce!
But why should Waikato ratepayers pay for this pollution? Surely Environment Waikato will investigate and locate the source? (especially as there can’t be many possible sources of bulk dairy waste).
Shows how important it was for Labour to have cracked down on such polluters when you were in government for a decade…
Nice post Sue. The Talley family have a long history of this kind of behaviour. And a long history of keeping sweet with the right people.
My advice to Labour is to return the next cheque they send.
So having a workplace dispute with the unions equals environmental misbehaviour?
[Remainder deleted. You're on a final warning Dimmocrazy. Keep it constructive and free of abuse or take it elsewhere - admin]
Hoi Sue, Irish Bill, anon commmentator on the Stranded, advises you to return teh cheque. Laugh or cry? I’m not sure either.
Also, according to Bill (who wishes that you decline the cheque) the Talley family is directly responsible for this spill. Bloody Talleys, bad to the bone I tell ya.
Anyway, about those lotto numbers, its too late now but if you want to let me know about next week that would be good .
thanx
sing
I bet the people of Waikato are cheesed off that their river has been polluted. That is no whey to treat the environment!
Disgusting, I hope they are made to pay to clean up that stinkin’ mess. Argh!
Damn it meant Waitoa, that’ll teach me for red alerting after a night out drinking…
I don’t do Lotto. Consider it to be mindless gambling as there is no form guide on how the balls have performed in the past and their recent trackwork.
But Talley’s on the other hand… now that’s a bet I’m willing to take Sing. Are you on? Just remember, I only take well-informed punts.
@John, I don’t know where John Key (rhymes with shonky) has his millions invested but I given he won’t even ask English to reveal the structure of the family trust that owns his Wellington home, I doubt that we’ll get full disclosure from Key on his own tangled web.
Just about to head to Waharoa and will report back….stay tuned.
Hey Spud, its ok. The Waitoa River flows through many Waikato communities, only one of which is Waitoa. That OCC sludge is currently making its whey to the Hauraki Gulf via the beautiful Firth of Thames.
Whey to go OCC! Spread the “love” around.
I agree with your comments Sue about Waikato ratepayers having to pay for the actions of Open Country Cheese’s employment of untrained strikebreakers.
Is it true that ex-National Party Cabinet Ministers Wyatt Creech and John Luxton are directors of this company?
Have just returned from the picket line which is on State Highway 27 so heaps of traffic today with the majority supporting the workers. Lots of tooting and honking weekend trippers.
Helen Kelly, CTU President also visited the picket line today, to pledge the support of other NZ unions.
Funny thing, Sing, but OCC’s first reaction was the same as yours, namely that the locked-out workers must have caused the river pollution!
Apparently, the sludge ponds have survellience cameras on them 24/7 so they will quickly be able to identify if this is the case or not.
But you know I’m a betting woman, so I’m also willing to place a bet that OCC says those cameras were on the blink at the time. That would be a strange coincidence.
I do want to give them the benfit of the doubt at this stage, least I turn as cynical as Singularian. Perhaps they will turn video tape over to EW for the investigation.
@John. Creech and Luxton certainly were directors when OCC started, but I think they may have sold out a few years ago. It is possible they retain some small ownership, but I haven’t done a company search.
Thanks for supporting the workers and the environment. And big thanks to the Labour Party for stepping up and volunteering many moons ago to support the local dairy farmers in their struggle with The New Zealand Coop Dairy Company over dumping milk in the same river. Without their support then the river would have been in dire straights now…sad to see its been treated like a drain again.
Hmmmm
Can anybody please tell me how a company can maintain permanent status for the majority of it’s personnel in a seasonally controlled environment?
Although I am not in fact a farmer I am from the Waikato and being virtually surrounded in farmland even one in complete ignorance is bound to notice that for a limited time -possibly around the 3 month mark?- every year (give or take a couple of weeks) farm productivity drastically reduces, Be it because of “drying off” or “the cows are pregnant” I don’t know, (well, actually I do have a fair idea
No genius though).
While I do feel for those standing outside the gates I’m afraid I also understand the point of view from those inside the gates.
In order for our “friendly” picketers to attain their goal of permanence it all boils down to getting the milk in at peak levels for 12 months of the year doesn’t it? How can that happen when an average cow’s milk production is only in peak levels for around 9 months? And even then they fluctuate? (the levels, not the cows
).
There’s a lot of anger on both sides and yes I believe that BOTH sides have much to answer for. So here’s an idea; how about the WORKERS, not the REPS, sit down and TALK PROPERLY with management? Maybe I’m being a little obtuse but I don’t care. And I really do not mean to offend anybody, I’m just wondering why nobody has actually figured this out yet.
All it takes is for one smart cookie to realise the company has to follow production, and the only way to make money is when production decreases, well, logically, so must staff. Does that make sense? Painful, but true. Am I totally wrong?
Anyway I really wish everyone well and a compromise would, of course, be awesome.
I’m really trying to keep my personal opinions about Talleys and DWU to a minimum here people as both cliques don’t really fare too favourably in my book.. Sorry.
Righto, I’m outta here.
Can anybody please tell me how a company can maintain permanent status for the majority of it’s personnel in a seasonally controlled environment?
Although I am not in fact a farmer I am from the Waikato and being virtually surrounded in farmland even one in complete ignorance is bound to notice that for a limited time -possibly around the 3 month mark?- every year (give or take a couple of weeks) farm productivity drastically reduces, Be it because of “drying off” or “the cows are pregnant” I don’t know, (well, actually I do have a fair idea
No genius though).
While I do feel for those standing outside the gates I’m afraid I also understand the point of view from those inside the gates.
In order for our “friendly” picketers to attain their goal of permanence it all boils down to getting the milk in at peak levels for 12 months of the year doesn’t it? How can that happen when an average cow’s milk production is only in peak levels for around 9 months? And even then they fluctuate? (the levels, not the cows
).
There’s a lot of anger on both sides and yes I believe that BOTH sides have much to answer for. So here’s an idea; how about the WORKERS, not the REPS, sit down and TALK PROPERLY with management? Maybe I’m being a little obtuse but I don’t care. And I really do not mean to offend anybody, I’m just wondering why nobody has actually figured this out yet.
All it takes is for one smart cookie to realise the company has to follow production, and the only way to make money is when production decreases, well, logically, so must staff. Does that make sense? Painful, but true. Am I totally wrong?
Anyway I really wish everyone well and a compromise would, of course, be awesome.
I’m really trying to keep my personal opinions about Talleys and DWU to a minimum here people as both cliques don’t really fare too favourably in my book.. Sorry.
Righto, I’m outta here.
@ Curious – Sorry can’t answer your questions, but I noticed you were trying to make a grinning face. It’s : with a capital D
It’s pretty ironic that you raise the issue of environmental vandalism and point the finger at OCC.
The original decision by the dairy workers union to go on strike for 8 days during the peak of the dairy season would have lead to millions of litres of milk being dumped into the waterways. Thankfully OCC have managed to keep the plant operating and avert this disaster…
Key used to have shares in Dairy Investment Fund but the final parcel of shares were “removed” 18 December 2008.
However, the vast majority of shares were transferred to “Whitechapel Limited” 4 December 2008.
Whitechapel Limited is now under the jurisdiction of Taylor Grant Tesiram who also run Key’s trust.
Coincidence? I think not.
@spud
thanks
@curious. Giving job security to those working in the dairy industry has been achieved by the Dairy Workers’ Union with other employers who are reliant on exactly the same seasonal fluctuations in production e.g. Fonterra.
All they are seeking in this dispute, is the same job security measures that the rest of the industry adheres to. Annualised hours is an example of one of the mechanisms used where basically staff are employed for 2080 hours (or whatever number of hours is agreed to constitute a full year) and they may work longer hours in some parts of the year and have weeks off on pay at other times, while retaining their income. Their employment is permanent.
Don’t under-estimate how important a secure and regular income is to ordinary hard-working New Zealanders.
They can’t feed the kids or pay the mortgage if they don’t know if they have a job next season or not.
Some employers have deliberate strategies of keeping workers in this vulnerable position so they exploit that vulnerability.
All the media round this has been focussing on the union workers being wronged when i know otherwise..this spill was caused from them sabotaging the effluent tank and i hope they have caught it on camera cause this is in the polices hands now.they also broke a window of a van of full time TRAINED employees who were just leaving the factory to go home. in my opinion they shouldnt be allowed back in but should be fired.They also tampered with a crane in the salt room which if it hadnt been picked up someone could have been seriously injured or killed.
they are busy abusing non union workers for giving in to the company or whatever but how are they supposed to continue to pay their bills if they dont keep working?
I seriously doubt you know otherwise, theres lots of accusations flying around and very few facts, the company was very quick to cry “sabotage” before even carrying out a investigation to the main cause, its most likely the ponds spill was operator error.
The salt crane is in a locked room with cctv around that area, the sabotage if any would be more easily to have been carried out by someone still working in the plant.
The van had scabs in it, so whats your point? though I wish they would leave the factory and go home, back to Wanganui and Awarua.
@bboil you need to think about what your saying anybody would think you know something about what going on in there when really you only know what your been told you say fire the picketer your worse r than the management lose canon
officially you only heard there story