Up to 1000 members of the New Zealand Meat Workers' Union at eight Talley's-owned Affco plants in the North Island have voted to strike, with 94.5% of members voting in favour to halt work.
Union spokesperson Darien Fenton said after 18 months of negotiations and court order meditation, the two sides were at an impasse.
One of the major sticking points was the seniority clause, which gives workers with the greatest experience first refusal of jobs at the start of a new season. Affco wants to get rid of the clause while the union is adamant it should remain.
"This year the company has really upped the ante. They threw this bomb [about seniority] into it at the last moment while we were going through mediation."
Ms Fenton said scrapping the seniority clause would mean "the total casualisation of the meat industry".
She said Talley's was the first company to apply to end negotiations, a provision brought in under new employment legislation earlier this year.
In 2012, workers at the Imlay plant in Wanganui were among 900 nationwide locked out by Talley's for 84 days during a dispute over contract negotiations.
"Talley's seems to be trying to do what they did in 2012, and that is a concern," Ms Fenton said.
The strike will take place on August 10 and 11. On August 11, the workers will join colleagues from other Affco plants at a rally at Parliament.
Rowan Ogg from Affco said the company was "very disappointed" to learn of the strike action.
"A strike is still both disruptive and unnecessary. Our focus ... has always been an agreement which reflects the current operating environment in the industry and secures jobs," he said.
Mr Ogg said Affco had done all it could to prevent this situation. Locking the workers out was an option, as in 2012, but it was not the company's preferred option. He questioned the number of workers that would strike.
"Less than a quarter of the Affco workforce are union members and we understand that only a few at each site have voted to strike. Most just want to get on and work, and over 90 per cent of our workforce will be doing just that next week."
Mr Ogg said the industry faced declining stock numbers and with that in mind the company's aim was on job preservation and job sustainability.
"This is an extremely competitive industry and the best thing we can do ... is have workplace agreements that provide more opportunity for better earnings and longer seasons."
- By Anne-Marie McDonald of the Wanganui Chronicle
