Dare Iced coffee shortage warning: ‘Tradies will be angry’

One of Australia’s best-loved iced coffees could soon be in short supply, sparking outage from tradies.

Dozens of employees at Bega’s Penrith factory in Sydney’s west have gone on strike this week demanding a seven per cent rise.

The site produces Dare iced coffee and Dairy Farmers milk.

United Workers Union has warned the industrial action could impact Dare iced coffee production and end with ‘a bunch of angry tradies’.

‘Workers out at Penrith don’t volunteer to take strike action lightly,’ the union’s national dairy co-ordinator Neil Smith said.

‘They’ll be missing out on hundreds of dollars while they’re out the gate. 

‘But we need Bega to understand that sub-inflation pay rises aren’t going to cut it when our members are seeing housing costs double and other essentials increase threefold.’

‘We need those tradies to know the ball is in Bega’s court.’ 

Impacted Bega workers launched industrial action on Monday.

‘All Bega workers want is a fair pay rise that respects the billion-dollar profits they’ve made possible, the UWU stated on Facebook

‘These factory workers made sure milk didn’t run dry through the pandemic. They also accepted a lower pay deal during Covid-19 to support the company through uncertain times.

‘Now workers want a fair deal that respects their work.